NCAA SUPER REGIONALS: Endicott’s Historic Season Comes To A Close Against Baldwin Wallace, 7-4

BEVERLY, Mass. – The No. 16/19 Endicott baseball team lost to No. 18/21 Baldwin Wallace, 7-4, in the second game of a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional on Saturday at North Field, as the Yellow Jackets won the series to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III College World Series. 

WP (3-1): Garrett Miller (McMurray, Pa.) – 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LP (2-2): Will Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) – 1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
SV (4): Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) – 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K 

Endicott scored three runs on three hits in the home half of the second inning, with Dylan Pacheco's (Dartmouth, Mass.) first-pitch RBI single to left field breaking the deadlock. Kyle Grabowski (Westfield, Mass.) followed with an RBI knock of his own before Joseph Millar (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) added a sac fly off of reliever Matt Sabin (Mentor, Ohio), the second of six Yellow Jacket hurlers. 

With a runner at second and two down, Baldwin Wallace wriggled out of danger when third baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma, Ohio) dove to the line on a grounder and tossed across the diamond to end the frame and deny a likely fourth run from scoring. 

The Gulls nearly added a fourth run in the bottom of the third but, with runners at the corners and one down, interference on an infield grounder negated the runner coming home, and a strikeout ended the threat. 

Baldwin Wallace's Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen, Ohio) extended his program-record home run total to 19 this season with one out in the fourth, a no-doubt solo shot to left field. Vonderhaar entered the weekend sixth in NCAA Division III in home runs. After two quick outs in the home half, Millar doubled before consecutive walks loaded the bases, but a strikeout allowed the Yellow Jackets to escape unscathed. 

Baldwin Wallace trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth, as Vincent Capolupo's (Kenmore, N.Y.) fielder's choice grounder drove home Kolenich. Endicott averted further damage thanks to a heads-up 1-3-5 force play at third base on an attempted Yellow Jacket sac bunt with runners at first and second. 

The visitors took the lead with five runs in the sixth frame, going ahead on Ryan Guggenheim's (Solon, Ohio) two-run, one-out home run before Capolupo emptied the bases with a three-run, two-out double on a full count. Baldwin Wallace carried a 7-3 lead into the seventh inning. 

Sophomore Nicolas Notarangelo (Taunton, Mass.) launched a solo home run in the seventh inning to make it a three-run game, also setting a school record with his 13th homer of the spring. The long ball broke a tie with John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.), who swatted 12 this year, and Bryan Caruso '02, who hit a dozen in 1999. 

Pacheco and Grabowski opened the eighth with back-to-back singles, bringing Wilson from the bullpen for the third straight game, including the second time in less than 24 hours. Endicott brought the tying run to the plate three times against the righty, who induced two fly balls before fanning the final hitter to escape the jam. Wilson set the Gulls down in order in the ninth inning. 

Grabowski was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Gulls, while Notarangelo and Pacheco both finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Notarangelo added a double in addition to his record-breaking home run. Guggenheim led Baldwin Wallace with a 2-for-4 effort, scoring one run and driving in two, while Capolupo knocked in four runs. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• This weekend marked Endicott's NCAA Super Regional debut, and its initial contests against Baldwin Wallace.
• Baldwin Wallace entered the weekend ranked among NCAA Division III's top 10 in home runs per game (fourth), slugging percentage (fourth), doubles (fifth), home runs (sixth), runs (seventh), scoring average (eighth), hits (eighth) and batting average (ninth).
• Endicott shortstop Matthew McKinley (Hudson, N.H.) went to his backhand on a hard smash to begin an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the first inning. Junior center fielder Caleb Shpur (East Canaan, Conn.) made a sliding catch to begin the seventh frame.
• Endicott finishes the winningest season in program history at 40-10, having bettered the 2013 team's prior school record by five victories. 
• The Gulls also earned their highest national ranking in program history at No. 16 overall.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott's season has come to an end at 40-10 overall. Baldwin Wallace (37-11) is among eight teams heading to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the NCAA Division III College World Series, which begins on June 3. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)