GRAND CHUTE, Wis. - Thirty-seven and counting.

     "That's just Josh Schwartz being Josh Schwartz," Rowan coach John Cole said.

     "He's one step ahead of (opposing hitters). He goes after their weaknesses."

    Schwartz, who is 13-0 this season, struck out a career-high 13 and retired 12 consecutive batters at one point.

     "He had something up his sleeve for everything we tried to do," Hampden-Sydney coach Jeff Kinne said of Schwartz.

     "He just knows how to pitch. He set our batters up very well."

    Rowan (42-8) advances to play either SUNY-Cortland or the College of Wooster at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. Hampden-Sydney (27-14) will take on either Cortland or Wooster in an elimination game at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.

    Schwartz, whose 37 straight wins is a record in all NCAA divisions, gave up singles in both the second and third innings. After walking the lead-off batter in the fourth, Schwartz struck out the next four hitters on his way to retiring 12 straight Tigers. He struck out nine of the first 16 batters in the game.

     "I feel like I'm a power pitcher even though I'm not," Schwartz said with a laugh. "Those strikeouts get me going."

    Schwartz said when he's on a roll the game goes by at a rapid pace.

     "The feeling to me is that goes very quickly, and I'm always ahead (in the count)," he said.

    Schwartz got all the offense he would need in the first inning. The first Rowan hitter of the game, Frank Galeota, reached on an infield single. After a stolen base and hit batsman, Jesse Pappler singled through the left side to score Galeota and give the Profs a 1-0 lead.

    Rowan made it 2-0 in the second without the benefit of a hit. Matt Johnson drew a one-out walk, and Tigers pitcher John Schoenholtz fielded Galeota's sacrifice bunt but threw the ball into center field. Matt Enuco followed with a sacrifice fly to score Johnson.

    Hampden-Sydney's only good scoring chances against Schwartz came in the second and third. Mike Clark led off the second with a single and advanced to second on a failed pick-off attempt by Schwartz. After the next two batters struck out, Clark was thrown out at third trying to steal.

    The Tigers had runners at first and second in the third with one out, but Schwartz struck out Jay Lilley and got John Apperson to hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

    Rowan put the game away when it sent 11 men to the plate and scored seven times in the sixth inning. Irv McFarland, who went 2-for-5 with two runs batted in, started the rally with a double. Johnson delivered a run-scoring double, and Michael Rucci, who was 3-for-4, had a run-scoring single.

    That was the end for Schoenholtz, who gave up eight hits and eight runs in 5 2/3 innings to fall to 11-2 on the season. Pappler greeted reliever Daniel Hadra with with a run-scoring double, and McFarland finished the onslaught with a two-run double.

     "They made good adjustments. They put the bat on the ball," Kinne said. "I thought that inning was never going to end."

    The Profs added their final run in the seventh when Brian McLaughlin was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out.

    Cole was pleased with what his team did on Friday but knows the work is just beginning for the Profs, who had a 1-2 record in last year's finals.

     "It's going to get very tough from here," Cole said. "I like our performance tonight."