MADISON, WISC. - An offensive duo and a trio of arms guided top-seeded Madison College to a 3-0 victory over fourth-seeded Black Hawk College in the opening round of the 2022 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Tournament at Robin Roberts Field on Thursday. Gunnar Doyle twice drove in Eli Kramer, while Eli Hoyt, Luke Hansel, and Alex Hayes combined on a four-hit shutout as the WolfPack, ranked #3 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, advanced to the tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon. The Pack is now 24-13 all-time against the Braves, including a 6-1 mark in postseason meetings. 

Pitcher dominated the first few innings of the game until the WolfPack was able to break through in their second time through the order against Black Hawk College ace Payton Lawrence. Centerfielder Eli Kramer singled to start the fourth inning, giving Madison College its first hit of the game. After moving to second base on Gabe Roessler's sacrifice bunt, first baseman Gunnar Doyle lined a single to left and Kramer raced around third to score give the Pack the lead. 

Black Hawk College seemed to be threatening in the fifth after back-to-back walks by starter Eli Hoyt and a hit by pitch on the first offering from reliever Luke Hansel. Madison College escaped the jam as Hansel induced an inning-ending groundout to second baseman Jake Nelson. 

The WolfPack created some déjà vu in the bottom of the sixth when Kramer again led off with a single to left for his second base hit of the day. Roessler, a shortstop from Rockton, Illinois, again followed with well-executed sac bunt to move Kramer to second, and Doyle line a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for another RBI as Kramer sprinted home.

Nursing a 2-0 lead, the WolfPack needed a defensive gem to escape another potential scoring situation when consecutive walks and a wild pitch put runners on second and third for the Braves. In yet another déjà vu moment, Nelson ended the threat with a spectacular lunging catch of a line drive that seemed destined to reach right field and tie the game.

Madison College tacked on another insurance run in their half of the seventh as Jake Fulton singled to center, scoring Brady Jurgella from third.

Following a lead-off double in the top of the ninth, coach Mike Davenport turned to left-hander Alex Hayes to close out the win, and the freshman responded with a 1-2-3 effort to earn the save.

Hoyt (6-1) worked 4.2 innings and limted the Braves to two hits and four walks, while also striking out seven batters for his second-highest K total of the season for the Waukesha, Wisconsin, native. Hansel was just as good over his 3.1 innings with just two hits and two walks given up. He fanned three batters before giving way to Hayes.

Doyle and Kramer were joined by Fulton in the two-hit club. Doyle, a former Oak Creek HS athlete, drove in two runs, and Kramer, a native of Greenville, Wisconsin, touched home twice. Fulton added a RBI, while Jurgella produced a hit and a run scored.

Up Next:

Madison College (42-8) will play in the 2022 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Baseball Tournament Semifinals against third-seeded McHenry County College (39-16) on Friday at noon at Robin Roberts Field. The Scots defeated second-seeded Kankakee Community College by a 4-0 final in their tournament opener. The WolfPack swept a home doubleheader with MCC by scores of 7-4 and 4-1 on May 1 to push their all-time series lead to 29-12-1. The two teams have met in five prior postseason contests, with the Pack owning a 4-1 record. First pitch is set for noon, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship game and the loser playing an elimination game Friday at 3:00 p.m. All games will stream live at MadisonCollege.tv, with live stats of the Madison College games available via the GameChanger app.



Follow WolfPack baseball: Facebook | Twitter