Box Score

Grand Chute, Wis. - The streak lives.

Trinity College (Conn.) kept its record win streak going with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the State University of New York-Cortland late Friday (May 23) in an opening round game in the finals of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

The Bantams (42-0), owners of the longest win streak in NCAA Division III baseball history, advance to play Linfield College (Ore.) (35-11) in a winner’s bracket game at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday (May 24). Cortland (42-4), which saw its 38-game win streak snapped, faces the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (39-9) in an elimination game at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Cortland reliever Ryan Hooper gave up back-to-back singles to Matt Sullivan and Tim Bourdon. Chandler Barnard then walked to load the bases and bring Ryan Piacentini to the plate.

The first pitch to Piacentini hit off the glove of catcher Mike Zaccardo and went to the backstop and Sullivan came home with the winning run.

Tim Kiely went the distance to pick up the win for Trinity and improved to 11-0 on the season. He allowed six hits, struck out 10 and walked one, an intentional pass that was his second walk in 88 innings this season.

Cortland starter Matt Tone was also impressive. He went 6.1 innings, allowing three hits while striking out 12 and walking five.
 
Trinity struck first in the bottom of the fourth when Thomas DiBendetto hit a one-out solo homer.

The Red Dragons came right back in the top of the fifth and tied the score. Matt Vitalone singled to lead off the inning, and Andersen Gardner followed with a double to put runners at second and third. After a strikeout, Anthony Coromato’s ground out scored Vitalone.

Both teams had other scoring chances in the late innings.

DiBendetto led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, and pinch-hitter Jack Abbott also drew a walk. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners up, Bourdon drew a walk to load the bases.

Hooper entered the game and got Barnard to ground into a fielder’s choice, and Vitalone threw DiBendetto out at the plate. Piacentini then popped up to third base to end the inning.

Cortland loaded the bases in the eighth but couldn’t score. Joey Russo singled with one out, and a pair of errors on Khyle Dimino’s ground ball put runners at second and third. Mike Avery then hit a ground ball to second, and Piacentini threw out Russo at the plate. After an intentional walk, Kiely got another ground ball to get out of the inning.

Cortland left six runners on base, and Trinity 10.

By Joe Vanden Acker ( Lawrence University Sports Information Director)