CARY, N.C. – Shane McDonald and Andrew Lalonde combined on a three-hit shutout as No. 4 seed Southern New Hampshire University edged No. 7 seed University of Southern Indiana, 3-0, Sunday in an elimination game of the 2018 Division II Baseball Championship.
The championship is being held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, and is being co-hosted by the Town of Cary and the University of Mount Olive.
McDonald (8-2), a graduate student, started and surrendered just two hits over 7 1/3 innings. The 6-1 lefty from Blue Point, N.Y., struck out just three batters, but relied on a stellar defensive effort by his Penmen teammates.
SNHU shortstop Kyle Pangallo threw out a runner at first base to end the fifth inning after bare-handing a ball that ricocheted off the shin of third baseman Tom Blandini. First baseman Ryan Sullivan recorded the first out of the USI sixth on a diving catch in foul territory, and Caleb Potter made a sliding snag on a fly ball to right field to end a dramatic eighth inning.
Lalonde replaced McDonald in the bottom of the eighth with one out and a runner on second, and walked the first batter he faced. Two batters later, Bryce Krizan singled down the left field line to load the bases with two outs, but the sliding catch by Potter in right on a ball off the bat of Jacob Fleming ended the threat for the Screaming Eagles (36-23).
In the ninth, Lalonde hit a batter with two outs, but posted a strikeout to end the game, collecting his first save of the year and keeping the season alive for the Penmen (40-16).
Southern New Hampshire scored two of its three runs in the third inning on four consecutive singles by Pangallo, Joshua Goldstein, Blandini and Thomas Buonopane.
After giving up those runs, Southern Indiana starter Austin Krizan (3-4) retired the next 13 batters in a row before issuing a one-out walk to Idelson Taveras in the seventh. Pangallo followed with a single and Goldstein walked to load the bases, but Krizan used a fly ball to left to end the inning.
Krizan scattered seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out two.
SNHU added an insurance run in the ninth off Southern Indiana reliever Kyle Griffin after Sullivan tripled to center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sam Henrie.
With the victory, Southern New Hampshire stays alive to play another elimination game on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
QUOTES
Southern New Hampshire
Head coach Scott Loiseau
“Our level of competing was way better than yesterday. We did a much better job of getting the ball in play. We struck out five times today, so we were able to cut our K’s in half today, which was a big difference. And we competed hard on the mound.”
“Shane did an incredible job today. I think he would agree that he probably didn’t have his best stuff. He’s usually a little crisper. But he did a good job of keeping those guys off-balance.”
Starting pitcher Shane McDonald
“I think I was a little bit ‘effectively wild’. I was mixing my pitches well. My fastball wasn’t as firm as it usually is, but I was still getting good run on the pitch. It was hard to get a barrel on it. I was just trying to do the best I could all day, and fortunately we came away with the win.”
“(My fielders) come through for me all the time. It’s just a testament to us not wanting to go home. We really competed hard and it showed.”
Third baseman Tom Blandini
“When we score first we feel better than trying to play from behind. The bats came alive. I had a big knock, thankfully, and then Buonopane after me. The hits came when we needed them to.”
Southern Indiana
Head coach Tracy Archuleta
“Southern New Hampshire’s Shane McDonald threw a great game. He kept us off-balance all the way through. Offensively, we just didn’t show what we were capable of. Austin did a really good job pitching today.”
“Our guys were taking really big swings. How many groundball outs did we have today, one? We had too many fly balls. Each one was trying to do too much with one swing.”
“This is very disappointing that we didn’t show what we’re capable of. It’s one thing to get beat. It’s another not to play to one’s ability and get beat. That’s what I feel happened this week.”
Starting pitcher Austin Krizan
“I didn’t think that (our lack of offense) put any additional pressure on me. I just tried to go out there and do my job, keep trusting the process, throw strikes and take care of business.”
“I just kind of got mad at myself. I was missing spots in the inning where I gave up four hits in a row. I think two of them were 0-2 pitches, which should never happen. So I just locked in a little bit better, hit my spots, kept the ball down and let my fielders do the work.”