Box Score

Grand Chute, Wis. - There were 195 NCAA Division III teams with better team batting averages than Linfield College (Ore.) (35-11) during the 2008 season, but few were better than the Wildcats at playing small ball.

Linfield, who entered postseason play ranked in the top 10 in the nation in sacrifice bunts, used four consecutive bunts in the seventh inning to help scratch across the decisive run during a 5-1 opening-game victory over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (39-9).

The win came at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday (May 23), in the inaugural finals appearance for Linfield.

Linfield’s Kevin Mills led off the bottom of the seventh inning of a 1-1 game with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rhett Fenton, who also reached after a fielding error by the catcher on a bunt. Ty Stanley followed with another sacrifice bunt to move both runners up 90 feet, setting the stage for Jordan Boustead’s bunt single to the left side of the infield that plated Mills.  

First-year Linfield head coach Scott Brosius commented on his team’s tactic, “Small ball has been this team’s identity at times this season. Their pitcher (Mike Jacobsen) had a great pickoff move, so we had to find other ways to move runners and turned to the bunt. Pitching and defense have kept us in games this season and when those are working we are usually in games and will scratch and scrape to score runs however we can.”

Brosius’ pitching and defense were both on display as sophomore righty Garrett Dorn baffled a prolific Warhawk offense and the Wildcat defense handled all its chances successfully. Dorn was the complete-game winner after limiting UW-Whitewater to three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.

“I was comfortable from the get-go because I never got in any real trouble,” Dorn said. “I was changing speeds and hitting my spots and when you are doing that teams are going to struggle to hit you.”

UW-Whitewater head coach John Vodenlich added, “Their pitcher (Dorn) threw a great game and you just have to tip your cap to him. He was changing speeds and spotting all his pitches and really dictated the tempo of the game. Mike (Jacobsen) threw just as good for us, but our inability to execute against the bunt on defense was the difference.”

Jacobsen threw seven innings, allowing eights hits and four earned runs while striking out three.

“The competitor in me wanted to match him (Dorn) pitch for pitch and inning for inning, but although I didn’t feel it physically, I knew I was tiring because they were starting to make more contact,” said Jacobsen.

UW-Whitewater centerfielder Jordan Stine opened the game’s scoring in the top of the second inning when he lined a solo shot over the fence in left-center field, giving the Warhawks a 1-0 advantage and Stine his fifth home run of the season.

David Bachofner knotted the game at 1-1 in the third when he plated Ty Stanley with an RBI single to left field.

Drew Van Cleave proved that Linfield had more than the bunt in its arsenal in the bottom of the eighth inning when he blasted a three-run home run over the left field fence, pushing Linfield’s lead to 5-1 and the game out of reach for the Warhawks.

“I had struggled trying to go the other way in my first three at-bats and was just looking to make contact,” Van Cleave said. “The pitcher (Gregg Reik) hung a changeup and I got the barrel on it and knew I hit it pretty well.”

Linfield advances to face the winner between State University of New York-Cortland and Trinity College (Conn.) at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday (May 24). UW-Whitewater takes on the loser of that contest at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.

By Matt Troha ( Midwest Conference Sports Information Director)