Box Score

Grand Chute, Wis. - The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) showed no effects from having to win three elimination games in a 24-hour span the previous week and earned an 9-1 victory over Chapman University (Calif.) on Friday (May 22) in a first round game of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Time Warner Cable Field.

The Tommies (37-12) advance to the face Shenandoah University (Va.) in a winner’s bracket game on Saturday (May 23) at 7:45 p.m. Chapman (30-16) now faces Farmingdale State College (N.Y.) in an elimination game on Friday at 1:15 p.m.

Both squads entered the game as no strangers to Grand Chute as St. Thomas earned the national crown in 2001 and Chapman accomplished the feat in 2003. The Tommies are making their fourth trip to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships in the last 11 years while the Panthers are appearing in Grand Chute for the fifth straight season.

St. Thomas junior right-hander Matt Schuld tied a single-season school record with his 11th win of the season (11-1). Named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-America First Team, Schuld pitched a complete game, allowing five hits, one run and three walks while striking out six. It is his sixth complete game of the season as Chapman was held to a season-low five hits.

Schuld said he felt good after coming back from last week’s regional, which saw him throw 168 pitches in 12-innings against UW-Stevens Point and on two days rest come back and throw 120 pitches in an elimination-game win over St. Olaf College (Minn.).

“The first three days after the regional I was doing a lot of cardiovascular work and icing, but I was really happy the way I felt early on tonight,” Schuld said.

St. Thomas jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off Chapman right-hander Jordan Sigman. Matt McQuillan opened with a single and moved to second on Matt Olson’s double down the left-field line. Roy Larson followed with a sacrifice fly to score McQuillan and after Brian Schmitz struck out, Dan Leslie gave the Tommies a 2-0 lead on an RBI single to knock in Olson.

McQuillan gave St. Thomas a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a run-scoring single to score Tom Wippler, who walked to open the inning.

Chapman had its chances against Schuld, loading the bases with two outs in the top of the third, but Patrick Ohail popped out to second to end the threat. The Panthers’ Ryan Hall reached on a Tommies’ throwing error to start the top of the fifth and after getting a strikeout, Schuld walked Ben Owens. He then retired John Semel, an NCAA III Second Team All-America selection, on a ground-ball double play to end the inning.

After getting the double play in the top of the fifth, the Tommies came back and put up five runs in the bottom of the frame to take an 8-0 lead, including four consecutive two-out hits. Brian Schmitz made it 4-0 on a sacrifice fly and Taylor Rahm hit a two-out, two-strike single through the left side to score Dan Leslie and Olson for a 6-0 lead. Tom Wippler added an RBI double and Louie Salmen a run-scoring single to finish the scoring.

Salmen added an RBI single in the seventh inning for a 9-0 lead before the Panthers’ Semel hit a solo home run in the eighth for Chapman’s only run of the game.

Olson finished 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored for St. Thomas while McQuillan, Rahm and Salmen each added two hits. McQuillan, Olson and Rahm scored two runs each while Rahm and Salmen had two RBI.

Sigman suffered the loss for Chapman, going five innings, allowing 10 hits, eight runs and three walks with two strikeouts. Semel went 2-for-3 with the solo home run in the eighth.

Each team committed two errors, as St. Thomas entered the contest ranked first in the country in fielding percentage (.976) and Chapman second (.972).

By: David Johnson (Sports Information Director, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)