WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 14/20 Shenandoah University beat St. Joseph's University (Long Island) 10-3 to open the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament's Winchester Regional on Friday at Bridgeforth Field.
The Hornets (35-10-1) banged out 16 hits in the victory and took command with a six-run third inning, while starting pitcher Jacob Faivre limited one of the nation's best-hitting teams to five hits in a complete-game effort.
SU, which is hosting an NCAA regional for the first time in school history, will play the winner of Catholic University and Stevens (N.J.) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The four-team, double-elimination regional runs through Sunday.
IN DEPTH
St. Joseph's, which came into the contest with the second-best team batting average in Division III, struck first with a solo home run in the top of the first inning, but Faivre settled in after that. The junior right-hander didn't allow another run until Ryan Decoursey's two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth made it 10-3.
Faivre (9-1) allowed three earned runs on five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out eight in his first complete game of the season.
Shenandoah's offense gave its starting pitcher plenty of run support, beginning with a six-run third inning that chased St. Joseph's starting pitcher Kevin Czeczotka from the game. That outburst, which featured six Hornet hits, included RBI singles from Gavin Horning, Haden Madagan and Henry Delavergne and RBI sacrifice flies by Kyle Lisa and Ryan Clawson.
Clawson, who led SU with three RBIs, delivered a two-run double with two outs in the fourth. Shenandoah padded its lead in the eighth with a solo homer from Frankie Ritter and Madagan's sacrifice fly.
Clawson, Horning and Pearce Bucher, who ran his hitting streak to 32 games on Friday, each had three hits to lead Shenandoah's offense. Ritter and Kooper Anderson added two hits apiece.
Eight of the Hornets' nine starters recorded at least one hit in the win.
Czeczotka, one of three St. Joseph's pitchers to see action against SU, took the loss for the Golden Eagles (23-13) after allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks.