In an elimination game with the 14th ranked Kellogg Community College Bruins, the WolfPack road the arm of Parker Schrage and the offense put up eight runs on their way to the 8-3 victory in their third NJCAA DII World Series win in four games. The 45-15 and sixth ranked WolfPack advance to face the winner of Jones County JC and Western Oklahoma State College at 7:00 PM tomorrow evening. The June 3 game at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, OK will feature a high ranked team as the WolfPack and the WolfPack have their backs against the wall with one tournament loss.
WolfPack starting and winner pitcher Parker Schrage threw another brilliant game in the 8-3 win for his seventh of the year against two losses. He lasted all nine innings for his first complete game of the World Series and his fifth of the 2011 campaign, while scattering nine hits and surrendering three runs. Schrage also struck out five Bruins in his second strong performance of the tournament. In two World Series victories spanning 14 innings, Schrage has a 2.86 ERA to go with seven strikeouts.
Schrage threw a scoreless frame in the first for the visitors on the scoreboard before Madison College grabbed the 1-0 lead in the top of the second when one of the offensive heroes in the ballgame, Eric DuCharme, singled with two outs and scored on a Kellogg error. Errors and poor decisions would prove to be crucial to the plight of the Bruins as they committed five errors, and gave up four earned runs to the WolfPack in the five run loss. After Schrage tossed another scoreless frame, the Madison bats put up there biggest offensive output of the game with two runs and in the process chased the Kellogg starter with one out in the inning. After Ryan Freitag walked to lead off the inning, Tanner Vavra's bunt single gave the 'Pack two runners on with no outs. Tyler Brusky followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners up 90 feet before Andrew Wasmund's sacrifice fly to left field plated Freitag to give Madison College the two run lead. With two outs, Treysen Vavra singled to drive in his big brother Tanner and the 'Pack grabbed the 3-0 lead.
Schrage struggled in the bottom half of the third when he gave up an early run, but got out of the inning after a timely double play to keep the 2 run, 3-1 lead intact. After two more solo runs for the WolfPack over the next two frames to extend their lead to 5-1, the Bruins added a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning in an attempt to chip away at the 'Pack lead. Up 5-2, the WolfPack added two more runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend their scoring streak to four frames. After a scoreless eighth for Madison, the Bruins and WolfPack traded solo runs in the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth innings before Schrage sealed the deal. The imposing righty got the Bruins leadoff man in the inning to line out before taking maters into his own hands. Schrage sat down the final two batters with swinging strikeouts to come away with the 8-3 win in the biggest stage of the year.
On the offensive end, DuCharme, Treysen Vavra, Tanner Vavra, and Garrett Novinski paced the WolfPack with two hits apiece. Treysen Vavra and Ryan Freitag led the team with two RBI, and Tanner Vavra and DuCharme both scored twice. DuCharme had the only extra base hit, a double, and three WolfPack swiped a base in the win.
The WolfPack are right back at it tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM against the winner of the Jones County JC and Western Oklahoma State College being played Thursday night at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. The 45-15 WolfPack will be playing in their fifth game of the NJCAA DII World Series in Enid, OK.
