Bottom of the Ninth, Two-Out Double Pushes ERAU to World Series
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The 2010 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round could not have been scripted to end any better than it did at Sliwa Stadium on Friday afternoon. Branden Roper-Hubbert, a senior on the NAIA No. 8 Embry-Riddle Eagles' baseball team, hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat St. Thomas 3-2 in the final game of the Opening Round as the Eagles advance to Lewiston, Idaho for the 2010 Avista-NAIA World Series.
Embry-Riddle (44-17) trailed 2-1 to St. Thomas (34-32) entering the home half of the ninth, but saved their first walk off of the season to propel them to their third consecutive World Series appearance. The Bobcats end their season after winning four straight games in the Opening Round to put themselves in Friday's contest.
Mike Jutkiewicz led the ninth inning off by flying out to right fielder Stephen Merino, but freshman Tyler Robbins reached first base after getting hit by a pitch in the next at bat. Dane Beaudette battled STU closer Anthony Perez to a full count before swinging at strike three for out number two. Senior Austin Goolsby singled to center field to keep the Eagles' season alive which brought Roper-Hubbert to the plate. After working the count to 2-1 Roper-Hubbert crushed Perez's fourth pitch halfway down the left field line. Robbins scored easily from second while Goolsby was being sent home by third base coach Chuck Stegall. Goolsby slid feet first into home after the throw came in from Andrew Rodriguez in left field and the celebration began for ERAU.
The Eagles will be making their 10th trip to Lewiston, the third under head coach Randy Stegall. Stegall, who won his 200th career game on Wednesday was denied from his 201st on Thursday by the Bobcats, but claimed it on Friday.
Starter Justin Zinkovich threw on two days rest and went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts.
The Bobcats got on the board first during the visitor half of the first inning when Lance Larimer scored on an RBI single by Stephen Merino. St. Thomas would hold the Eagles' scoreless until the fifth inning, thanks in large part to starter Andres Ibarz. Ibarz, going on only one day's rest, pitched 4.2 innings without, allowing just one run in the fifth.
The Eagles got their first run on a Roper-Hubbert infield single to the Bobcats' shortstop that scored Robbins. Robbins had reached first on a four-pitch walk before advancing to second on a Beaudette single and then to third on a balk. The run was the first in over 17 innings for ERAU, dating back to their 4-3 win over Rio Grande (Ohio) on Wednesday.
STU quickly struck back in the next half-inning, scoring on their own infield single to the shortstop that plated William Mizrahi.
Phillip Reamy, who had entered in the sixth inning to relieve Zinkovich, threw the last 3.1 innings, not allowing a run on four hits in keeping his ERA at a perfect 0.00. The Bobcats ended the game stranding 13 runners on base, while ERAU left 11.
St. Thomas put a runner on in the ninth inning but a groundout to second base ended the STU threat and set up the bottom of the ninth drama.
Reamy earned his third win of the year (3-0) while Perez moved to 1-4 when he received the loss.
Roper-Hubbert drove in all three runs for Embry-Riddle, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles. Goolsby finished 2-for-5, scoring the winning run.
The #7 seeded Eagles will open the 2010 Avista-NAIA World Series on Friday, May 28 at 8:30 a.m. (PDT) against #10 seed Tennessee Wesleyan.