The Dominican University baseball team earned the sixth and final spot in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament on Saturday, splitting the final regular season series with the Marian University Sabres at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium. Needing one win after Concordia University Wisconsin swept the Edgewood College Eagles, Dominican dropped game one 7-6 in ten innings before scoring a 5-2 win in the nightcap.
"We accomplished one of our goals for the season today," said Dominican's fifth-year head coach Steve Hardman following the win. "I was happy we responded well in game two after dropping the opening game. With that said, we have played all of the five other teams in the tournament tough this year and are in a position now where anything can happen once you get into the conference tournament."
The Stars, now 17-22 overall and 10-10 in the NACC, will face the third-seeded Aurora University Spartans in the tournament's opening game at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wisconsin. With a win, the Stars would be back on the diamond at Kapco at 7:00 p.m. against the Concordia Chicago Cougars while a loss would have Dominican back in action in the double-elimination tournament on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Game One: Marian 7, Dominican 6 (10 Inn.)
Colin Janison (Las Vegas, Nev.) got the start in the series opener, tossing 7.1 innings and exiting with a 4-3 lead. The sophomore right-hander surrendered just two earned runs on six hits and four walks before giving way to
Jason Gissendaner (Gurnee, Ill.) who stranded the tying run at second and go-ahead run at first with back-to-back strikeouts to escape the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Jake Falish led off the frame with a double down the right field line and advanced to third when Jake Litkenhus flew out to centerfield. With the infield drawn in, Marian's Tony Grannis bounced to
Lucas McKinney (Arvada, Colo.) who made a diving stop to keep Falish at third and get the second out of the inning, retiring Grannis. Dominican elected to pitch around Mitchell Buss before bringing in
Quinten Hayes (Indianapolis, Ind.) with runners at the corners. Earl Vorpagel then laid down a bunt and reached first when
JT Hicks's (Albion, Mich.)' throw sailed past McKinney at first and ended up in right field allowing Falish to across for the tying run. After a walk loaded the bases, Hayes ended the top of the ninth, getting Matt Baehman to flyout to right field.
After the Stars went down in order in the bottom of the ninth,
Robert Bavone (Bellwood, Ill) took over on the mound for the top of the tenth, getting the first hitter of the inning before loading the bases with a walk, a single and a hit batter before giving way to
Tyler Brown (Bartlett, Ill.). Facing Grannis with one out and the bases loaded, Brown went 0-2 on Grannis before the left-handed Grannis battled back to 3-2 and fouled off four pitches before lining a triple to the gap in left-center, clearing the bases and giving the Sabres their first lead of the game 7-4. Brown escaped further damage with back-to-back strikeouts to end the top of the tenth.
In the bottom of the inning,
KJ Wilk (Shelby Township, Mich.) started the inning with a leadoff single to center. After
Cody Schuster (Las Vegas, Nev.) flew out to left,
Lucas McKinney (Arvada, Colo.) yanked a single to left to put runners at first and second for
Mike Piotrowski (Arlington Heights, Ill.). Piotrowski doubled to deep left, scoring Wilk and putting the potential tying run in scoring position at second. Hicks bounced out to second allowing McKinney to cross before Marian's Jordan Bock got
Nathaniel Natividad (Oak Lawn, Ill.) swinging to secure the win for the Sabres.
Bock tossed six innings out of the Marian bullpen, taking over in the top of the fifth for Ty Peccioli and allowing just two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four. Bock had limited Dominican to just one hit through his first five innings of work before giving up three hits in the tenth.
For Dominican, Bavone took the loss, falling to 2-5.
Offensively, the Stars finished with ten hits in the losing effort, including two apiece for Schuster and Piotrowski.
Game Two: Dominican 5, Marian 2
Making just his third start of the season, senior left-hander
Chance Emlund (Chicago, III.) pitched the Stars to a 5-2 win, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight. Brown then returned to the mound for his first save of the season, working the final 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out two.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Dominican loaded the bases with one for Hicks who singled to left to score Schuster. After an infield fly, Marian's Austin walked in the tying run when he walked
Joe Kukla (Chicago, Ill.) with the bases loaded after Kukla fell behind in the count 0-2.
The score remained 2-2 into the bottom of the fifth when the Stars chased Hansen from the game with three runs on three hits and an error. Piotrowski started the rally with a single to left. Hicks laid down a sacrifice bunt with Grannis's throw ending up in right field, allowing Piotrowski to score and Hicks to motor all the way to third. Natividad followed with a double to left-center, scoring Hicks. After a flyout,
Quinlan Milne Rojek (Minneapolis, Minn.) pushed around Natividad with a single to left-center.
The three run cushion was more than enough for Emlund and Brown.
Dominican managed seven hits in the win, two apiece for Piotrowski and McKinney
