Czerwinski was still a little sore from losing his last two starts, lingering effects of a flu that plagued him for much of the past three weeks, and a ulnar problem that caused him to redshirt last season. Czerwinski found his groove thanks to a dominating change-up to lead his Eastern Connecticut State University team into the NCAA Division III Championship game with a 4-2 victory over Marietta College. The right-hander threw 119 pitches in seven and two-thirds innings of work to pick up his eighth victory of the year. Marietta was unable to compensate for Czerwinski's change-up, collecting just six hits and striking out six times.

"He moved that pitch all over today," catcher Jeff Funaro said. "Up, down, outside, inside. Wherever he wanted to put the ball, he did it."

ECSU head coach Bill Holowaty could not have been more pleased with his starter's effort.

Both teams played close through the first two thirds of the game, as each pitcher traded an unearned run though the fifth. Marietta starter Scott Stocker was having success in shutting down the Warriors' often-potent offensive attack, but ran into trouble in the sixth inning.

After getting first baseman John Kubachka to fly out to centerfield, left fielder John Hedde singled up the middle. Right fielder Jared Holowaty followed that with a single of his own to put two on with one out. Hedde would get to third on a wild pitch to Oremaecha. Stocker walked the third baseman to load the bases, but was forced out at second when shortstop Tom Koch reached on a fielder's choice, which scored Hedde to put the Warriors up, 2-1. Holowaty would make the score 3-1, scoring on Funaro's single before Stocker got out of the inning by striking out second baseman Morgan Thompson.

The Pioneers cut the deficit to 3-2 in their half of the inning, when third baseman Brent Curtin's single drove in Derek Pauley, but Curtin was thrown out at second base to end the inning with two on. ECSU added an insurance run in the seventh, and continued to ride the coattails of Czerwinski, who was replaced by Jeremy Hall with two outs in the eighth.

Hall thwarted a last-ditch Marietta effort by striking out pinch hitter Chase Brackley. ECSU coach Bill Holowaty praised his pitcher's determination after the game.

"I couldn't be happier for this young man, and my team," Holowaty said. "He struggled lately but he came in and got it done for us." Funaro had a successful day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run batted in. Dwight Wildman and Hedde each had a pair of hits and scored.

Catcher Jay Coakley swung a big bat for the Pioneers, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. His 39-8-1 Marietta squad was to play The College of New Jersey in a game to start at 3:30 CDT. ECSU will play again tonight in a game against Christopher Newport University at 7 p.m. (CDT), but the Warriors - thanks to the wacky brackets of the tournament - are assured a trip to the championship game for the first time since 1998, when they won the title.

Written By Andrew Wagner
Photos By Lehigh Photo