Mules rally from deficits of 7-0, 9-1 and 12-6, capped by six-run ninth to edge Ravens in 11 innings

SAUGET, Ill. (May 24, 2008) – The University of Central Missouri, ranked seventh in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II Poll and 11th in the pingbaseball.com rankings, scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning and then plated the winning run on a hit batter with the bases loaded in the 11th to edge No. 14/15 Franklin Pierce University in game two of the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships, hosted by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, the Gateway Grizzlies Baseball Club and the Village of Sauget, at GCS Ballpark tonight.

Central Missouri (46-15) advances to the winner’s bracket to face No. 2/4 Sonoma State University (51-13) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). Franklin Pierce (43-13) will battle No. 21 Shippensburg University (38-25) in an elimination contest on Monday at 3:30 p.m. (EDT). Sonoma State opened the championships with a 10-1 victory over Shippensburg this afternoon.

The teams combined for 25 runs and 31 hits as 17 of the 18 players in both teams starting lineups registered at least one hit. Central Missouri scored runs in five of their last six at bats to erase deficits of 7-0, 9-1 and 12-6, with the final rally coming with six runs in the top of the ninth to force extra innings.

Senior rightfielder Blaine Rutledge (Victoria, Minn.) paced the Mules offense, hitting 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and four RBI. Senior Balin Bergman (Omaha, Neb.) was 3-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI, while classmate Clay Weatherford (Fulton, Miss.) finished 4-for-6 with four runs scored. Junior Mike Hallam (Forney, Texas) also doubled twice for UCM.

Junior righthander Chris Matlock (Springfield, Mo.) earned the win (5-2) in relief for Central Missouri, striking out five, while yielding just a hit in three scoreless innings of work. Junior righthander Mark Carey (East Alton, Ill.) started for the Mules and was touched for six runs, three earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 4.1 innings.

All nine Franklin Pierce batters had hits as the Ravens piled up 12 runs on 14 hits, scoring multiple runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to at first build a 7-0 lead and then in an attempt to hold off a Central Missouri’s comeback efforts.

Junior Cliff Hicks (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) hit 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while sophomore Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) was 2-for-6 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Junior preseason All-American Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) batted 2-for-6 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and an RBI, while classmate Steve Carr (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) finished 2-for-6 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Junior Randy Bernosky (Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron Northern) chipped in with a double and three RBI.

Sophomore righthander Kyle Vazquez (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) took the loss (7-2) in relief for the Ravens, allowing an earned run on three hits, three walks and a hit batter with no strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Junior All-Region righthander Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) didn’t figure in the decision after a strong outing at the College World Series for the second-straight year. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 6.2 innings. Three of those runs allowed came in the seventh.

Despite trailing by as much as eight runs at one point, the Mules stubbornness finally paid off in the ninth. Senior Chris Brown (Las Vegas, Nev.) started the rally with a two-run double down the right field line after a single and error put two runners on with none out. Runners were on the corners after a sharp single to center by Weatherford and Brown scored when junior Will Feil (St. Charles, Mo.) reached on an error at second base, which could have been a game ending double-play. Senior Brian McBryde (Humble, Texas) walked to load the bases and chase Franklin Pierce’s senior closer Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford).

Rutledge greeted Vazquez with a two-run double to right center, and the tying run scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Bergman. The final out of the inning came on the play as the Ravens thought they had the UCM runner out at second on the long throw back into the infield by Renaud, but while arguing the play, Rutledge tried to catch the Raven fielders sleeping only to be caught in a rundown for the third out between third and home.

Weatherford led off the UCM 11th with a single up the middle. After he was sacrificed to second, McBryde drew a walk and stole second on the play as Weatherford advanced to third on a passed ball on ball four. Franklin Pierce intentionally walked Rutledge to load the bases and got a foul pop up to the catcher for the second out. However, Vazquez hit Bergman with a 1-0 pitch to force in what would prove to be the winning run.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring in the contest with a single run in the second as Rivers led off with a single and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches by Carey. The Ravens added two more in the fourth on Bernosky’s towering two-run double high off the centerfield fence. Franklin Pierce extended its lead to 7-0 with a four-run fifth. Savastano drove in a run with a ground rule double to right center before Bernosky drew a bases loaded walk and grad student Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South) came through with a two-run single through the right side.

Central Missouri got on the board in the sixth as Hallam doubled off the base of the wall in center to drive in Rutledge, who had led off the inning with a walk. The Ravens got that run back and more in the home half as Savastano laced a double into the gap in left center with one out, before Rivers followed with his ninth home run of the season (10th overall) to right for a 9-1 cushion.

Central Missouri struck again with three in the seventh. Adams was called for a balk with one out and the bases loaded. McBryde scored on a ground out and Bergman followed with an RBI single up the middle to end Adams night. Franklin Pierce answered again in the home half with a two-run double down the rightfield line by freshman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional). The Mules got those runs back in the eighth on a two-run double down the leftfield line by Rutledge with two out.

Carr put the Ravens back up by six (12-6) with a solo homer (6th) to left center with two out in the eighth.