ANNVILLE, PA – Tenth-ranked Rowan rallied from an early two-run deficit to defeat #24 Washington & Jefferson, 14-7, in a winner's bracket game of the 2022 NCAA Baseball Annville Regional. The Profs (32-8) now move on to play for the regional title on Sunday at 10 a.m. against Washington & Jefferson. Rowan needs just one win to advance to next weekend's Super Regional against the winner of the Rochester Regional at a site to be determined.
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Ryan Murphy was 3-for-5 with three RBI and
Eric DiDomenico went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead Rowan.
Hunter Wroniuk crossed the plate three times,
Anthony Schooley was 3-for-6 and
Tyler Cannon had three RBI.
Starter
Jason O'Neill (8-3) earned the win in six innings, as he struck out four, while reliever
Mike Shannon threw three strong innings, allowing just two runs and three hits, to record his first save of the year.
Trailing 4-2, the Profs scored five runs in the fifth, with a solo home run by
Ryan Mostrangeli and a two-run single from DiDomenico among the big hits, to take a 7-4 lead.
Washington & Jefferson (36-9) scored a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings to pull within, 7-6, but Rowan exploded with four runs in the eighth and then three in the ninth to secure the win.
The Profs loaded the bases in the eighth and Cannon drew a walk to force in one run. Then Murphy cleared the bases with a three-run double to bring home
Trip McCaffrey, DiDomenico and Cannon, and give Rowan an 11-6 lead.
Rowan added three more in the ninth thanks to an RBI double by Wroniuk, an RBI single by DiDomenico and a double from McCaffrey that gave the Profs a 14-6 cushion.
Murphy got the Profs going right away in the first inning with a triple and he came home as
Patrick Defeciani, the next batter, singled. Rowan added to the 1-0 lead in the second as Wroniuk walked and eventually scored after the Profs loaded the bases, and McCaffrey came through with an RBI single.
Washington & Jefferson countered with three runs in the bottom of the second, on one hit and one Rowan error. Tyler Horvat drove in two runs with a double as the Presidents took a 3-2 lead. One more run in the third built W & J's lead to 4-2. After Rowan had gone up 7-4, the Presidents got a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings to pull within 7-6.
