Cal Baptist (ISR #1) split four games with Azusa Pacific (#16), winning 2-1, losing 5-1, winning 10-3, and losing 7-3. Taylor Siemens went the distance in the first game, scattering eight hits and striking out 11, and not walking a batter. The Lancers' runs came from solo home runs by SS Brian Sharp and 1B Josh Manzano. Morgan Wynne got the win for the Cougars in the second game. Erik Wallace got the win for the Lancers in the third game, went eight innings, allowed four hits. In the fourth game, 1B Johnathan Erb went 2-3 and batted in three runs for the Cougars; Nolan Rudman got a win in his first start of the season; he allowed four hits over six innings, struck out seven.
The Lancers are now 23-4, and they remain at the top of the Golden State Athletic Conference standing with a 10-2 record. Next up is Fresno Pacific (#3), at home on Wednesday, and away on March 19. The Sunbirds are 13-8, and swept four games against The Master's last week.
Oklahoma City (#2) has won 19 straight. They started the week with a 6-5 win over Iowa Wesleyan. Courtesy runner Brian Fisher scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch. Steve Styck, who pitched the final inning, got his second win of the season. The Stars then swept three games from Northwestern Oklahoma State, 17-7, 2-1, and 4-1 (eight innings). Allen Townsend got the 2-1 win, struck out eight, didn't allow an earned run. Matt Presley batted in the winning run in the third game. Rich Hawkins went the eight-inning distance for the Stars. Hawkins is 3-2, 2.05 ERA.
The 19-2 Stars visit Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday, U. Of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Thursday, and host USAO on March 19.
Embry-Riddle (#4) started the week with a 10-2 win over Jamestown; SS Ben Kline went 3-4 with two doubles. Brandon Creath went seven innings, allowed two hits, struck out eight. The Eagles then won two games against Tennessee Wesleyan, 8-2 and 8-5. Ryan Vigue and Robbie Ratliff got the wins. Next, their 13-game winning streak was broken by South Carolina-Beaufort, 7-6 in 11 innings. The Eagles led 5-0 at one point, but needed a sacrifice fly by CF Aaron Glaum in the top of the ninth to send it into extra innings. The Sand Sharks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 11th, and Larry Perry hit a single with two out to win it. Andrew Barrineau, who pitched the last three innings for the Sand Sharks, got the win.
The Eagles swept a double-header against the Sand Sharks the next day, 2-0 and 10-7 (11 innings). This was described in Embry-Riddle's press release as “one of the most intense doubleheaders in recent history.” Ryan Vigue got his second win of the week in the complete-game shutout. He allowed only four hits, and struck out 11. The Eagles got the winning run in the first inning on an RBI single by 3B Steve Sabins. The only other run of the game came on an RBI single by C Adam Cellini in the seventh inning. The Sand Sharks had the tying run at first in the bottom of the eighth, but Vigue got LF/RF Ty Main to ground out to end the only scoring threat of the game by the Sand Sharks.
The Eagles led the second game 3-1 at the seventh inning stretch. Michael Heesch, who pitched the first six innings for the Sand Sharks, recorded 12 strikeouts. The Sand Sharks took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh with three unearned runs, and added two more runs in the eighth. The Eagles tied it in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Sabins, followed by a two-RBI single by 1B Chris Page. However, the Eagles left the bases loaded. They won it with another sacrifice fly by Sabins, and a three-RBI double by DH Keaton Stroud. Brandon Creath got the win, with some help from a game-ending double play.
The Eagles are 22-3. They host Indiana Tech on Tuesday, and visit Florida Memorial March 18-19. They have two games at Cumberland and a game against Union U. (TN) (#21) scheduled for the following week. The 16-8 Sand Sharks visit Division I Savannah State on Wednesday.
British Columbia (#6) won two of three against Lewis-Clark State, and it took four days to get these three games played. The first game, a 3-1 win for the Thunderbirds, was suspended by rain after 2 ½ innings, and completed the next day. Sheldon McDonald pitched the six innings after the suspension, scattered six hits, struck out seven, walked none. 1B Bob Forester hit a two-RBI single for the winning run. The Thunderbirds won the second game 4-2; Eric Brown went eight innings, allowed seven hits, struck out six. The Warriors salvaged the thurd game 7-2; Tyrell Poggemeyer took over the mound for the Warriors in the second inning, and held the Thunderbirds scoreless the rest of the way, scattering five hits. C Aaron DeGuire hit an double to bring in the winning run.
The 12-6 Thunderbirds visit Concordia-Portland March 19-20. The 12-5 Warriors visit Division II Saint Martin's on Tuesday, then host Division III Whitworth on Wednesday, and Divsion II Central Washington March 18-19.
Rogers State (#18) is for real. The Hillcats' 19-game winning streak came to an end with an 11-4 loss at Lubbock Christian (#8), but they still won the other two ends of the three-game series, 9-3 and 12-3. C Lance Rymel hit a three-run home run to tie the first game, and the Hillcats pulled away with a two-run home run by SS Randy Ramirez. Tyler Garner got a seven-inning complete game win. The turning point in the second game was a three-run home run by C Domenic Piazza; Tyler Curtis got the win for the Chaparrals. The third game was close for six innings, but the Hillcats took advantage of three Chaparral errors and a two-RBI single by CF Brandt Barnes to score four runs. Grant Cosby got the win. Ramirez is batting .442 for the Hillcats; Cosby is 3-0, 1.82 ERA.
The Hillcats visit Division II Northeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday, and host Wayland Baptist March 17-18. The Chaparrals are 17-6, and visit Oklahoma Christian March 17-18.
Northwood (TX) (#10) defeated Cumberland twice, 17-7 and 5-4. In the first game, CF Nico Taylor hit two home runs, went 3-3 with five RBI. In the second game, Edgar Valle, Corey Sartor, and Garrett Randle combined to hold the defending champions to five hits. The Knights then swept three games at Bacone, 2-1, 18-4, and 12-9.
Taylor is batting .455, and leads the NAIA with 37 RBI. The 21-2 Knights visit Division II Tarleton State on Tuesday, then host LSU-Shreveport (#14) in a major matchup March 18-19.
After the two losses at Northwood (TX), Cumberland (#19) lost another game on the road to LSU-Shreveport, 9-4; Jared Mata got the win for the Pilots. Aaron Wilkerson got his fourth win of the season, 1-0 against Trevecca Nazarene (#20). The only run of the game came when DH/1B Mike Mandarino drew a walk with the bases loaded in the first inning to score SS Tommy Winegardner. Wilkerson allowed five hits in eight innings. Two of those hits were in the top of the ninth. Wilkerson was relieved by Winegardner, who moved from shortstop. The Trojans bunted the runners to second and third, but Winegardner got a ground out and a popup to end the game.
The Trojans won the next two games of the series 10-0 and 3-1. Craig Stem pitched a one-hitter in the first game, which was mercy-ruled after five innings; he struck out five of the 17 batters he faced. (Stem's record is 5-1, 2,81 ERA, and 36 strikeouts.) In the second game, P.J. Francescon won a pitchers' duel with Mike Mandarino; Francescon went the seven-inning distance, scattered seven hits. The Trojans scored all of their runs in the sixth inning; 3B Chad Reynolds hit a two RBI single, and LF Matt Tidwell scored on a throwing error.
The Bulldogs are 15-8. They host Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday, and Shawnee State on Wednesday. They travel to Blue Mountain March 18-19. The Trojans are 14-11; they host Shawnee State on Tuesday, visit Bryan on Wednesday, and visit Mid-Continent March 18-19.
Concordia-Irvine is #1 in the ISR strength of schedule, and ranked #7. Azusa Pacific is #2 in SoS, and Iowa Wesleyan is #3; Iowa Wesleyan is ranked #23.