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Fighting Scots host MWC baseball
playoffs
Release Date: May 10, 2006
MONMOUTH, Ill. — You can almost set
your clocks by it … the Fighting Scots have qualified for the
Midwest Conference Baseball Championship tournament and there is
rain in the forecast.
For the third straight even-numbered year, Monmouth has won the
MWC’s South Division and will serve as host for the event this
Friday and Saturday. In 2002, rain washed away the second day of the
playoffs. Wet weather was also a factor in 2004, when the event was
shortened to a one-day, single-elimination format. That was also the
case for the 2005 event, which was held at Ripon.
Friday’s forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of showers, along
with wind and a high of 58 degrees. There is a 30 percent chance of
rain Saturday.
Monmouth’s latest South title came in cardiac fashion, as junior
reliever Scott Coles was finally able to put out a Grinnell fire and
secure a 5-3 win in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader. The
Pioneers, who entered the ninth trailing 5-0, ended the game with
the bases loaded, meaning the tying run was in scoring position.
“We don’t do anything easy,” said MC coach Roger Sander.
In handicapping this weekend’s four-team playoffs, Sander said St.
Norbert College is “traditionally a good-hitting team.” The Green
Knights will be Monmouth’s semi-final foe in a game that will be
played Friday at 10 a.m. The Knights are hitting .301, led by Brian
Perszyk (.377), Cory Fuller (.370) and Mike Wallerich (.359). They
were 16-16 in the regular season and 10-6 in the North.
While Monmouth and St. Norbert battle at Glasgow Field, Ripon
College, the North Division champion with a 16-0 record, plays
Grinnell College at Blodgett Field on the Knox College campus in
Galesburg.
“You don’t win 29 games with mirrors,” said Sander of the Red Hawks,
who have lost only five times in 34 games. “I’ve been following them
a little, and they’ve been getting good pitching and timely hitting
all year.”
Ripon’s staff boasts three pitchers with at least 54 innings pitched
and ERAs under 2.00 – Tyler Haddock (6-1), Jordan Baitinger (7-1)
and Nick Collins (5-0). The Red Hawks would certainly seem to
benefit if rain holds off and all the tourney games are able to be
played, something that has happened only once since 2001.
Grinnell, said Sander, “capable of beating anybody. Everybody’s 0-0.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve won 29 games or not.”
That certainly held true in 2002, when a Ripon team with 30 wins was
knocked out by a sub-.500 Knox squad.
The Pioneers (15-16, 6-6) are led by Leo Martin (.377) and Kevin
Byrne (.333). Sam Eaton (5-1, 3.15) is coming off a shutout
performance against the Scots, and Martin has also thrown well, with
seven saves and an ERA of 3.18.
For Monmouth (18-16, 8-4), senior Dan Dunn will enter the tournament
with a 6-4 record and a 2.93 ERA, while senior Matt Engelhardt is
3-3 with a team-best 2.74 ERA. They have both thrown more than 67
innings this season, with the next-highest total being the 23.1
innings thrown by sophomore Nate McCaherty (3-1, 3.86).
Hitting leaders for the Scots include sophomore Ryan Priola (.365, 4
HR, 24 RBI), sophomore Ryan Stubler (.347, 24 RBI), junior Chris
Smith (.340, 6 HR, 31 RBI) and senior Matt Gordon (.327, 4 HR, 24
RBI).
Although the Scots are relatively healthy entering the tournament,
they will be without the services of senior pitcher Kevin Meinhart,
who would have likely been their No. 3 starter.
Following Friday morning’s action, the double-elimination tournament
will continue in the afternoon, with the winners meeting at Glasgow
Field at approximately 1 p.m., and the losers playing at Knox at the
same time.
All of Saturday’s action will be played at Glasgow Field, starting
with an elimination game at 9:30 a.m. The championship is scheduled
for approximately 12;30 p.m. If necessary, a second championship
game will be played around 3:30 p.m.
The winner receives an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament and
will be assigned to a four-team regional.
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