Adrian, Mich. - The Alma College baseball team pulled off a stunning upset on Thursday (May 12) afternoon at Nicolay Field, eliminating the host Adrian College Bulldogs with a 9-5 victory in the first elimination game of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The victory was Alma's first over Adrian since May 7, 2008.
The win, Alma's first postseason win since the 1981 NCAA Division III Tournament, advanced the Scots to a rematch with Hope College that began at 6:00 p.m. The contest was halted after the first inning due to weather. The Flying Dutchmen were leading 3-0 at that point. The winner of the contest, which resumed late Thursday night, will face Kalamazoo College in the MIAA Championship game, which is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13.
Alma jumped on the Bulldogs right from the outset, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Matthew Minaudo (Clinton Township, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate) singled to open the inning and found his was to third on a throwing error, then was hit home on the next at-bat when junior Greg Goffee (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) hit a single to left field. Senior Doug Walters (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) singles to put runners on first and second base, then senior Yoan De La Rosa (Bronx, N.Y./Morris/Monroe College) hit a three-run homer over the center field fence.
Adrian scored a run in the top of the fourth, but the Scots added five more in the bottom of the fifth. After chasing the Bulldogs' starting pitcher Shane Healey, Alma shelled relief pitcher Zach Dunn, first with a two-RBI double by Walters, then with a three-run home run by junior Adam Thoryk (Syracuse, N.Y./John C. Birdlebough/St. John Fisher) to take a 9-1 lead after five innings. Walters finished the game 3-for-4 in the game, while four other Scots recorded two hits.
The Bulldogs scored once in the sixth and three times in the seventh to close the gap, but senior Matt Launstein (Flushing, Mich./Flushing) came on to record the save, pitching the final 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit. Senior Phil Jock (Memphis, Mich./Memphis) got the start and went 6.2 innings for the win, striking out seven batters to earn the win.
