Box Score
AUBURN, NY – The Rowan University baseball team lost to Amherst College, 10-8 in the NCAA Regional Tournament on Wednesday evening. The Profs are the third seed in the regional while the Jeffs are the sixth seed.
Rowan (32-13) plays the loser of the nightcap between #2 SUNY Cortland (34-9) and #7 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (28-13) on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. while the winner faces Amherst (26-11) at 7:45 p.m.
In the first game on Wednesday, #4 Farmingdale State University defeated #5 Neumann University, 7-2. #1 Ithaca College won 11-2 over #8 Moravian College. The national tournament is double elimination. The winners of the eight regional tournaments advance to the national championship that is scheduled for Friday-Tuesday, May 24-28 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, WI.
Right-hander Dylan Driscoll earned the win in relief. He (8-0) went two innings and gave up two earned runs. Righty Charles Nutter threw the last inning for his second save. Right-hander Christian Rahman (sr. Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade) took the loss. In 2.1 innings, he allowed five hits and two runs, one earned.
Left fielder Jonathan Ramirez led the Jeffs with four hits (six at bats), a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Shortstop Taiki Kasuga contributed with two hits, a double and three RBIs. Third baseman Nolan Stewart chipped in with four hits in five at bats, a double, one RBI and three runs scored. Center fielder Alex Hero was three for four at the plate. First baseman Bob Cook chipped in with two hits and one RBI. Second baseman Andrew Vandini added two hits and three runs scored. Catcher Dave Cunningham and designated hitter Conner Gunn each registered one hit and scored one run.
For Rowan, designated hitter Casey Grimes (so. Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro) produced two hits (four at bats), a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Second baseman Mark Benak (jr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) and center fielder Eric Perez (jr. Fords, NJ/Woodbridge) had two hits and one RBI apiece. Third baseman Kevin McMenamin (so. Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade) totaled three hits in four at bats and one run scored. Shortstop Ryan Williams (so. Southampton, NJ/Seneca) posted a double, one RBI and one run scored. Right fielder Eric Sellitto (jr. Medford, NJ/Shawnee) collected one hit, two RBIs and one run scored. Left fielder Nick Kreiger (so. Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) added one hit and one run scored. Catcher Stephen Petriello (fr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) scored one run.
After four innings, the Profs trailed 6-3. In the top of the sixth, the Jeffs scored two more runs. Ramirez had a RBI single up the middle and he later crossed the plate on a fielder’s choice. Rowan pulled within one after four runs in the bottom half. Sellitto drove in Grimes and McMenamin with a single up the middle. Williams knocked in Sellitto with a double to left center. Benak’s base hit down the left field line scored Williams.
Perez tied the score at eight with a RBI single down the left field line in the seventh. Grimes scored the run after reaching base with a single through the left side. Amherst went ahead with a RBI single by Cook in the eighth and Ramirez doubled in one run in the ninth.
Rowan received an automatic bid to the postseason as the champion of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. This is the Profs’ 22nd appearance and fourth straight in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Rowan won the national title in 1978 and 1979 and had a third place in 1977. Amherst is in the postseason for the sixth time and first since 2005. The Jeffs were the champion of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
The schedule and results for the Auburn Regional are below. The latest regional results and updated schedule will be available at the regional website (http://bombers.ithaca.edu/sports/2013/5/12/BB_0512130927.aspx?id=2696).
Wednesday, May 15
Game 1: #4 Farmingdale State 7, #5 Neumann University 2
Game 2: #1 Ithaca College 11, #8 Moravian College 2
Game 3: #6 Amherst College 10, #3 Rowan University 8
Game 4: #2 Cortland 4, #7 Rensselaer 3
Thursday, May 16
Game 5: #5 Neumann University (29-14) vs. #8 Moravian College (24-18), 10 a.m.
Game 6: #3 Rowan University (32-13) vs. #7 Rensselaer (28-14), 1:15 p.m.
Game 7: #4 Farmingdale State (29-13) vs. #1 Ithaca College (35-6), 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: #6 Amherst College (26-11) vs. #2 Cortland (35-9), 7:45 p.m.
Friday, May 17
Game 9: winner game 6 vs. loser game 7, 10 a.m.
Game 10: winner game 5 vs. loser game 8, 1:15 p.m.
Game 11: winner game 7 vs. winner game 8, 4:30 p.m.
Game 12: winner game 9 vs. winner game 10, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 18
Game 13: winner game 12 vs. loser game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: winner game 11 vs. winner game 13, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 19
Game 15: winner game 14 vs. loser game 14 (if necessary), 1 p.m.
