Top-seeded Thomas More College rallied to defeat third-seeded Washington & Jefferson 4-3 Sunday in the championship game of the 2016 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Championship Tournament at Thomas More Field.
With the win, the Saints improve to 30-10 and earn the PAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament that begins on Wednesday. With the loss, the Presidents fall to 26-17.
The 56-team NCAA field will see Thomas More College in the Mount Berry, Georgia Regional hosted by Berry College at William R. Bowdoin Field.
Thomas More, Pool A qualifier (automatic bid), will play Emory University, a Pool B qualifier (at-large bid) on Wednesday in a first round game of the double-elimination regional. Game time will be announced.
The Saints, the No. 6-seed in the regional, are making their seventh appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship and fifth in the last seven years. Thomas More finished first during the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) regular season and then went 4-1 in the PAC Championship Tournament to win the tournament and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The Eagles, the No. 6-nationally ranked and No. 1-seed in the regional, are making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship and 12th overall. Emory received one of the two Pool B bid, which are reserved for teams that are independent or members of a conference without an automatic bid.
In the PAC championships game, Washington & Jefferson took an early 1-0 lead in in the top of the first inning. Thomas More tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning when senior first baseman Donovan Pogue (Sharonville, Ohio/St. Xavier) hit a run batted-in single scoring center fielder Casey Metzger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills).
W&J took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third, but the Saints answered in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game at 2-2 when sophomore third baseman Bailey Abbatiello (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) hit an RBI single scoring freshman designated hitter Sean Lawrence (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton). The Presidents plated a run in the top of the sixth to take a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Thomas More tied the game at 3-3 when senior left fielder Zach Fardo (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart) had a SAC fly scoring Pogue. Then the Saints took the lead at 4-3 when Abbatiello hit an RBI single scoring freshman pinch runner Chase Whitaker (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville). The Saints would hold the Presidents scoreless in the ninth inning for the 4-3 victory.
Freshman pitcher Adam Ruwe (Park Hills, Ky./Covington Catholic) started and pitched five innings giving up two runs (both earned) on nine hits and struck out three. Junior pitcher Josh Cain (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) pitched two innings of relief and gave up one run (earned) on four hits. Junior pitcher Ken Ruberg (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) earned the win as he pitched two scoreless innings of relief and gave up two hits, while striking out two.
Thomas More was led at the plate by Abbatiello, who was two-for-four with two RBI. Two other Saints had multiple hits in the game as Pogue was two-for-four with a run scored and a RBI and Lawrence was two-for-three with a run scored.
From Thomas More Athletics