GRAND CHUTE, Wis. - If Matt Scherbring is this good when he has flu, look out when he's healthy.

    The Wartburg College pitcher tossed a complete game and got some superlative defense in the Knights' 4-1 win over Trinity (Conn.) College in an elimination game Saturday at the 2005 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Fox Cities Stadium.

    Wartburg (36-10) advances to face either Rowan University or the College of Wooster in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

    Scherbring, who improved his record to 12-1 on the season, went the distance, scattering 10 hits while striking out three and walking two.

     "What a gutsy performance," Wartburg coach Joel Holst said of Scherbring, who has been fighting the flu for about a week. "That's what he's done all year. That was just awesome. That's what great pitchers are able to do. They can elevate when they have to."

    Scherbring scuffled a bit through the first two innings and threw a lot of pitches early. The first Trinity batter of the game, Matt Engster, scored on a ground out after reaching on an error, but that was the lone defensive miscue for the Knights.

     "After I settled down after the first couple innings, I realized my stamina wasn't there. I had to get them to get themselves out," Scherbring said.

     "I just go out there and let (my defense) take care of the ball. They do a great job."

    The Knights turned a pair of double plays and made a number of other sparkling plays in the field. The Wartburg defense helped offset 10 hits by the Bantams, who finished the season at 35-6.

     "They are a great hitting team," Scherbring said of Trinity. "They were putting the bat on the ball. We just made some plays."

    Trinity coach Bill Decker said the Bantams simply weren't able to cash in on several quality scoring chances.

     "We didn't have anything to show for (the 10 base hits). You have to tip your hat to the kid from Wartburg (Scherbring)," Decker said.

     "I'm pretty disappointed, not in what it took to get us here, but in what we did when we got here."

    After the Bantams took the lead in the top of the first, Wartburg came back to tie the score in the bottom of the first against Trinity starter Tim Kiely, who took his first loss of the season (7-1).

    Wartburg's first two hitters of the game, Aaron Port and Marc Numedahl, both singled and a sacrifice bunt moved them up a base. Port then scored on Joel Reynolds' ground out.

    The Knights took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the third and were aided by a pair of Trinity errors. Patrick Henderson led off the inning with a walk and Port reached on a fielding error by the shortstop. After a ground out and foul out, both runners scored when the shortstop made an errant throw to first on Reynolds' ground ball.

    Wartburg added an insurance run in the seventh, and that rally was started when Numedahl reached on a fielding error by the second baseman. After a wild pitch and hit batsman, Reynolds singled to center field to score Numedahl and put the Knights up 4-1.

    The Bantams threatened in the ninth when Rob O'Leary doubled with one out and pinch hitter Chandler Barnard followed with an infield single to put runners at the corners. Scherbring then got Engster to ground into a fielder's choice, and he struck out Jeff Natale looking to end the game.

    Scherbring said despite the flu, he was ready to take the mound at Fox Cities Stadium.

     "There was no doubt in my mind I was going to be pitching," he said. "You're not going to let an opportunity like this pass."