Playing eight games in six days will test the best of pitching staffs.
UW-Whitewater ran out of rested starting pitchers, gave up seven runs in the first inning of Game 3 of the NCAA Division III World Series championship set Thursday and eventually lost to Misericordia (Pennsylvania) University 10-5.
UW-Whitewater finished 45-12. The 45 wins ties the school and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record for season wins first put up by the 2005 Warhawks squad.
A record-breaking 46th victory would have given the Warhawks a national title, but Misericordia jumped out to the 7-0 lead and never trailed in the third game of the best-of-three championship series.
The Warhawks defeated Misericordia in Game 2 of the series 16-10 in a game that started Thursday morning. The Cougars trailed in that game 12-1 but scored nine in the final three innings. That scoring surge continued into the first inning of the title game.
UW-Whitewater senior Cade Berendt made his third start in six days in the title game. He threw seven innings in the World Series opening win against Randolph-Macon and four innings against Salve Regina University on Monday.
Berendt could not get out of the first inning, and the Warhawks used five different pitchers in the final game.
Berendt hit the Cougars’ leadoff hitter, and he was sacrificed to second. A double scored the game’s first run, and a walk and two singles brought home the second run and loaded the bases.
A popup to the shortstop was the second out of the inning, but Berendt could not get the third.
Gabe Bunn, the ninth hitter of the inning, dropped a double down the right field line to clear the bases and put the Cougars up 5-0. Two more doubles made the score 7-0 and ended Berendt’s day after 2/3 of an inning.
The Cougars added two more runs in the third to go up 9-0.
Misericordia saved Connor Maryniak for the final game. The team’s starting shortstop when not pitching, Maryniak allowed 11 hits in 7 1/3 innings, but he did not allow a home run after the Warhawks hit five in the first game Thursday. Maryniak (11-3) earned the victory in his 13th start of the season.
Max Huseboe became the third Warhawks pitcher with two outs in the first.
Huseboe, a junior right-hander, pitched in five of the Warhawks’ eight World Series games in six days. He pitched 15 1/3 innings and threw 242 pitches—including 103 in his six-inning stint Thursday.
Misericordia scored three runs in the six innings Huseboe pitched. The Warhawks, who pounded out 19 hits in the win over the Cougars on Thursday morning, could not make a significant dent into Misericordia’s lead.
Eli Frank and Adam Cootway singled to open the fourth inning for the Warhawks. Danny Hopper reached on a fielder’s choice. Andy Thies hit a liner into right center, scoring Frank and putting Hopper on third.
Sam Paden grounded out to score Hopper.
Down 10-1, the Warhawks did their final scoring of the season in the eighth. After one out, Cootway and Hopper singled to put runners on first and third. An error plated Cootway, and Hopper scored on another error. Sam Paden doubled down the right field line to score Thies.
That got Maryniak off the mound, but Matt Lanzendorf came in and got the final two outs. Lanzendorf pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the game and the World Series.
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THURSDAY
MISERICORDIA UNIVERSITY 10, UW-WHITEWATER 5
UW-Whitewater 000 200 030 — 5 11 1
Misericordia 702 010 00X — 10 14 2
Leading hitters — Cootway (UWW) 3x4, Thies (UWW) 2x2, Bunn (MU) 4x4, Comins (MU) 2x3, Sanfilippo 2x4. 2B—Thies (UWW), Paden (UWW), McIlhenney (MU), Bollinger (MU), Bunn (MU), Cordner (MU).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — UWW: Berendt, L, 2/3-4-6-6-1-0, Hagen, 0-2-1-1-0-0, Huseboe, 6-7-3-2-2-2, Dupor, 1/3-0-0-0-0-0, Hopper, 1-1-0-0-2-1; MU: Maryniak, 7 1/3-11-5-2-2-2, Lanzendorfer, 1 2/3-0-0-0-0-2.
GAME 2 THURSDAY
UW-WHITEWATER 16, MISERICORDIA UNIVERSITY 10
Misericordia 010 000 342 — 10 18 3
UW-Whitewater 151 041 04X — 16 19 0
Leading hitters — Regenye (MU) 3x5, Comins (MU) 3x5, McIlhenney (MU) 2x3, Bollinger (MU) 2x3, Policarpio (MU) 2x3, Van Horn (MU) 2x5; Scolan (UWW) 4x5, Thies (UWW) 4x4, Holland (UWW) 2x6, Frank (UWW) 2x6, Paden (UWW) 2x4, Frazer (UWW) 2x3. 2B—Policarpio (MU), Frank (UWW), Thies (UWW). HR—Thies (UWW) 2, Holland (UWW), Scolan (UWW), Frank (UWW).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — MU: Valenti, L, 4 2/3-11-9-8-1-1, Viola, 1 1/3-5-3-1-1-0, Yula, 1 2/3-3-4-2-1-1, Kneidinger, 1/3-0-0-0-0-0. UWW: Hilker Jr., W, 6-8-4-4-3-5, Dupor, 2/3-2-0-0-0-0, Wickman, 1/3-2-3-3-1-0, Eisenbarth, 1-3-1-1-0-1, Hagen, 1-3-2-2-1-0.
NCAA DIVISION III WORLD SERIES
At Eastlake, Ohio
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
(Best-of-3)
RESULT TUESDAY
Game 1: Misericordia University 12, UW-Whitewater 9
RESULTS THURSDAY
Game 2: UW-Whitewater 16, Misericordia University 10
Game 3: Misericordia 10, UW-Whitewater 5
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