BOX SCORE AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
USI 3, GCSU 2
CARY, N.C. – The ninth-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team advanced to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Series with a 3-2 victory over fourth-ranked Georgia College and State University Friday afternoon in Cary, North Carolina. USI rises to 51-14 overall, while GCSU finishes the year 42-17 in 2010.
The Screaming Eagles will play top-ranked University of California-San Diego for the Division II national championship Saturday at 11 a.m. (CDT). UC San Diego, which advanced to the title game with a 6-3 when over 16th-ranked Franklin Pierce University on Thursday, is 54-7 this spring.
This will be the first national championship game since 2001 to not include a team from the South or Southeast (formerly South Atlantic) Regions. The USI-UC San Diego game also is the third consecutive year the championship game has included two teams that have never reached the title game (2008 Mount Olive (N.C.) vs. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.); 2009 Lynn (Fla.) vs. Emporia State (Kan.); 2010 UC San Diego vs. USI).
The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports and on NCAA.com. Fan also can hear the game on WPSR 90.7 FM HD2 or on the internet at www.theedgeradio.com. Links to the internet audio, video, and live stats can be accessed through www.gousieagles.com.
The 2010 baseball Eagles are the fifth USI team to play in a national championship game. The men’s basketball team has appeared in the national title game three times (finalist in 1994 and 2004; champion in 1995), while the women’s basketball team has played in the tournament finale once (finalist in 1997). USI also is the first GLVC baseball team to reach the finals since 1996 (Saint Joseph’s College).
The Bobcats opened the scoring with a run in the first inning and a tally in the third inning to lead 2-0. The Eagles rallied to tie the score in the top of the fifth on a home run by senior third baseman Wes Fink (Clarksville, Tennessee) and a great base running play by senior designated hitter Todd Martin (Rockport, Indiana) when GCSU failed to cover home plate on an infield hit.
USI manufactured a run to take the lead in the top of the seventh. Senior shortstop Wandy Rosario (Boston, Massachusetts), who had reached on a fielder’s choice after Martin had singled to lead off the inning, stole second and scored on a two-out single by junior catcher Dylan Mooney (St. Charles, Missouri).
On the mound, junior right-hander Taylor Dennis (Covington, Indiana) established a new single-season record for wins with his 12th of the season. Dennis (12-1) won his second game of the series by going seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out three.
The 12 victories breaks the record set by junior right-hander Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana), who has won 11 each of the last two seasons. Leach will have a chance to match Dennis in the national championship game on Saturday.
Rosario came on in the eighth to get the final six outs and recorded his 15th save of the year. He set down six of seven batters faced to get the save.