CARY, N.C. – Texas A&M University-Kingsville registered its first win ever in the NCAA Division II national tournament on Tuesday, blanking Mercyhurst University, 9-0, 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.
The Javelinas (42-16) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on an RBI single by Levi Zents, then broke the game open with a five-run fourth frame.
Two hit-batsmen by Mercyhurst starter Tyler Garbee (6-1) and a sacrifice bunt set the table for the big inning, which included a squeeze bunt by Kohl Ullman, an RBI single by Manny Loredo, a sacrifice fly by Zents that capped a 13-pitch at-bat, an RBI triple by Dallas Stefano, and an RBI single by Christian Caudle.
TAMUK added a single run in the seventh on a solo home run by Ullman, and tacked on two more runs in the eighth.
While Texas A&M-Kingsville pounded out 14 hits in the game, the Lakers (36-15) managed just four hits off Javelinas starter Tyler Flores (7-1) and two relievers. Flores, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, walked two and struck out eight in six innings of work.
Mercyhurst threatened Flores in the first inning, getting a pair of runners on base with singles by Drew Delsignore and Daniel Elliott. Matt Schneider then ripped a pitch home-run distance down the left field line, but the ball was a couple of feet foul, and he was later retired on a strikeout to end the inning.
The Lakers produced two hits to begin the third inning but left both in scoring position. Mercyhurst drew a pair of walks with two outs in the seventh, but Flores got a pop-up to first to end the threat.
In its two championship games, the Lakers managed just 10 hits and one run. Texas A&M-Kingsville was also shut out in its first game before getting the offense going against Mercyhurst.
With the victory, the sixth-seeded Javelinas stay alive to play another elimination game on Wednesday at 3 p.m. against top-seeded Florida Southern College.
QUOTES
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Head coach Jason Gonzales
“For the first time in a while, I thought we played a very complete game, the kind of game that got us to this point. We got very good starting pitching. Tyler kept putting zeroes on the board, and our hitters kept swinging aggressively, which is what we normally do. It was a lot more fun than the first game we played.”
“When you’re not really expected to do a whole lot or maybe even be here, we’re not playing with a whole lot of pressure. We’re just relaxing and having fun, enjoying the opportunity. We’re going to continue to be aggressive on the mound, at the plate, and on the bases. That’s the kind of baseball we’re used to playing.”
Second baseman Kohl Ullman
“Our first game here, we were kind of tense with it being our first time here. After getting that first game out of the way and under our belts, we were able to loosen up a little bit this game and play the kind of baseball we’ve been playing all year.”
Starting pitcher Tyler Flores
“I knew when we scored one run that our offense would keep on going after that. So it was kind of like pitching with a (big) lead. I did what I could to get weak contact and flyouts.”
Mercyhurst
Head coach Joe Spano
“Certainly not the results we wanted, not the kind of games we wanted to play. It kind of got away from us with the big innings. But I’m very proud of our guys, very proud of what it took to get here. … I congratulate our seniors, and just think the world of them.”
“This wasn’t the year we were really expected to be here. The last two teams we had, 2016 and 2017, were top-to-bottom a lot more talented and experienced, but we ran into Millersville, who was a national runner-up, and then West Chester, who was national champ. I’m proud that we got here. It was a great taste for the younger guys. We’re relatively young. And although you don’t like losing, just watching the way the two teams we lost to conducted themselves, and how hard they played and how much they hustled, it was a great lesson.”
“The five-spot did us in. You could feel the wind go out of the sails. We tried to keep the guys pumped up, and we actually had a few opportunities. We just couldn’t cash in with runners in scoring position, which has been a theme for us. These teams are just too good. You have to take advantage of opportunities when you have them.”
First baseman Daniel Elliott
“Obviously the pitching at this level is pretty good. I think we could have done a better job of putting at-bats together and really grinding them out, but you have to hand it to the teams that we faced. They prepared well and took it to us.”
Outfielder Collin Fantaskey
“It was good to be out there and able to help the team. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was sit and watch the regional and the first game of the world series, and not be out there with my brothers fighting.”