Second-seeded Rowan extended its season with an 8-3 win over No. 3 seed Salisbury in an NCAA Division III baseball championship elimination game at Classic Auto Group Park on Saturday evening in Eastlake, Ohio.
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Rowan will play another elimination game on Sunday (3 p.m., ncaa.com). It will face the loser of Saturday’s final game, between No. 6 seed Endicott and seventh seeded Adrian.
Rowan lost its opening game to Adrian on Friday night, sending itself to the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
“We were calmer today,” Rowan head coach Mike Dickson said. “We’ve still got a ways to go. Tomorrow’s a new day. We’ve got to keep on building off of this win.”
The Profs (38-6) scored five runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach after taking a 2-0 lead over Salisbury in the first.
“We wanted to try and get on the board early and create a little pressure,” Dickson said. “I thought we played a little bit more relaxed.”
Salisbury responded with a run in the top of the third, but Brayden Davis countered with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning.
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Davis’ third-inning homer was his 16th of the season and his 86th RBI, extending his program lead on the single-season RBI record.
Nick Struble, who finished his day hitting 3-for-4 with two RBIs, started the scoring in the fifth with a bases-loaded RBI single.
Ian Murphy crossed the plate on a wild pitch, and Brett Chiesa scored on an errant throw to home before Mason Dorsey capped the outburst with a two-run double that gave Rowan an 8-1 lead.
Austin Kreyenhagen struck out eight batters in a six-inning start for the Profs, allowing one run and four hits.
“I had my good stuff, but not my ace stuff,” Kreyenhagen said. “But I still battled, and everything felt pretty good.”
Salisbury (37-11) scored twice with two out in the ninth, but the Seagulls could not extend their season with a rally in the final frame.
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