WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Top seed Spring Arbor took advantage of four unearned runs in the first inning and hung on to edge the Yellow Jackets, 5-4, in the NCCAA Midwest Region championship game played at Grace College.
Defending champion Cedarville, playing its third game of the day, chipped away at the deficit beginning with a sacrifice fly by Rob Nesteroff in its first at bat. The Jackets added an unearned run of its own in the fourth to cut the difference in half.
After the Cougars added what would be the decisive run in the top of the fifth, the Yellow Jackets answered with RBI singles by Brandon Young and Alex Beelen in their half of the inning. But, CU left two runners on base and eight for the game in dropping to 28-27. Spring Arbor improved to 32-19.
David Convertini was 2-for-4 at the plate. Andrew York doubled and Nate Davenport scored twice. [SAU GAME 2 BOXSCORE]
The Yellow Jackets forced the second title game in the four-team double-elimination event by beating Spring Arbor, 6-5. Cedarville rebounded from a 3-2 deficit to score four times in the sixth inning on four doubles.
Derek Graham doubled and pinch runner Kyler King scored on Beelen's double. York later doubled in two runs and came around to score on Nesteroff's double.
York finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's while Beelen added two hits. Luke Freshwater went the distance on the mound to keep his record unbeaten improving to 5-0. He struck out three without walking a batter. [SAU GAME 1 BOXSCORE]
Cedarville's long day began with a 9-5 victory to eliminate Indiana Wesleyan. The highlight came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Davenport slugged his school-record 12th home run of the season. The previous mark of 11 by Steve Sagraves had stood since 1984.
The Yellow Jackets broke a scoreless game with five runs in the fourth inning. The Wildcats rallied for five runs in the sixth before Davenport's solo shot. CU completed its four-run sixth inning with an RBI double by Chris Ward and a two-run double by Tyler Rost.
Davenport and Rost produced three hits apiece in the Jackets' 15-hit attack. Convertini and Nesteroff each contributed two hits.
Matthew Willett, 6-4, notched his second win of the tournament with his sixth complete game of the campaign. He allowed six hits and struck out two. [IWU BOXSCORE]
