Macias throws eight innings without allowing earned run

Box Score

CARY, N.C. (May 23, 2010) – On a night when both teams had to battle not only each other, but the elements as well, Kutztown junior second baseman Brett Wigder blooped a single over a drawn-in infield to give his team a 2-1 victory over the No. 13/24 nationally ranked and East Region champion Franklin Pierce University baseball team in the bottom of the 12th inning on Sunday on the second day of the NCAA Championship National Finals, hosted by Mount Olive at the USA Baseball National Training Center.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 41-16-1 and will face elimination at 3 p.m. Tuesday against the loser of Sunday night's game between Minnesota State, Mankato and Southern Indiana. With the win, Kutztown improves to 42-13 and will play in the winners' bracket at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The game featured three delays which combined to span five hours and 38 minutes.

With the bases loaded and nobody out via a single and two walks (one intentional), Wigder brought home the winning run for Kutztown in the 12th by pushing a ball the other way over the drawn in infield.

Earlier in the day, Kutztown opened the scoring with an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning. Junior right fielder Mike Dugan and senior shortstop Mike Kacelowicz led off with back-to-back singles before senior catcher Matt Kulbacki dropped a sacrifice bunt up the first-base line. Franklin Pierce sophomore first baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.) elected to go to third base to try to throw out the lead runner, but the ball escaped into left field to allow Dugan to score.

Franklin Pierce answered with a run in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Wenrich led off with a single through the right side and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior right fielder Phil Hendricks (Pittsfield, Maine). Two batters later, junior third baseman Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) bounced an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

Kutztown threatened to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, but junior right-hander Rob Nicholas (Southborough, Mass.) was summoned from the bullpen with runners at the corners and one out and worked out of the jam he inherited. Kulbacki dropped down a safety squeeze on the first-base side and freshman pinch runner Gilbert Vega broke for the plate after the bunt hit the grass. Wenrich charged and tossed to Franklin Pierce sophomore catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who blocked the plate and applied the tag to short-circuit the rally. Nicholas then jammed Kutztown freshman designated hitter Matt Albaugh and got him to trickle one up the third-base line. Nicholas came off the mound, fielded and fired to first to eliminate the ninth-inning threat.

Junior right-hander Jose Macias (Bronx, N.Y.) started on the mound and did not allow an earned run over eight innings, but did not factor in the decision for Franklin Pierce. He allowed one unearned run on three hits, walked three, hit a batter and struck out eight. Junior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.) took the loss (4-5) out of the bullpen for the Ravens, as he allowed one run on two hits, walked two (one intentional) and struck out three over 1.1 innings of relief

Junior left-hander Jonathan Grosse started for Kutztown and also threw eight innings without being credited with a decision. He allowed one run on four hits, walked two and struck out nine. Senior right-hander Mike Bucklin picked up the win (8-2) in relief, as he threw one shutout inning, allowed one hit and struck out one.