ENID, OKLA. - Through five innings Saturday at David Allen Memorial Ballpark, fourth-seeded Madison College seemed to be in control of their opening round matchup in the 2023 NJCAA Division II World Series. However, fifth-seeded St. Johns River State College answered with ten unanswered runs over the final four innings to claim a 13-7 victory and send the WolfPack to an elimination game on Sunday. The loss in the first-ever meeting between the two schools snapped the Pack's season-high 12-game win streak.

Starting pitcher Alex Hayes set the tone for the WolfPack by striking out the side in the top of the first after giving up a leadoff single. The bats fed off the momentum and generated a 2-0 lead in the home half. Gabe Roessler and Grant Ross each singled, and after Roessler scored on a balk call, freshman Charlie Marion delivered a run-scoring single on a ground ball to right field.

The Vikings responded in the second with a two-run homer off Hayes, who was making his third career appearance on the hill in Oklahoma. The lefthander gave up a second long ball in the third inning when a solo shot left the yard for a 3-2 SJRSC advantage.

Madison College kept fighting, and plated five runs over the next three innings. Following a double by Ross, Marion beat out an infield single, and an error by the Vikings first baseman allowed Ross to continue his path home for a 3-3 tie. Later that half inning, Marion trotted in from third on a two-out single by sophomore Clayton Slack. The WolfPack threatened again in the fourth, which saw a pair of wild pitches move Carson Shepard from first to third and an error by the third baseman on a Marion ground ball to push the differential to 5-3. 

The WolfPack's final two runs came in the fifth. Peyton Frehner was hit by a pitch and Slack double to right to put both runners in scoring position. The Vikings went to the bullpen and the new pitcher's third offering got by the catcher to score Frehner from third. Then Carter Stebane grounded out to the second baseman to bring in Slack, and the Pack had a four-run lead.

An early walk in the top of the sixth prompted coach Mike Davenport to go to his bullpen, bringing in first year arm Nick West for Hayes. West also issued a walk, and after recording the inning's second out, gave up a run-scoring single up the middle. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, West allowed another free pass to force in a run. In hopes of ending the threat and maintaining a two-run lead, Madison turned to sophomore reliever Chris Byhre, but the righthander's walk of his first batter made it 7-6 and a balk tied the game.

Two more walks in the seventh put runners on base with two outs, and the Vikings capitalized with a two-run double to take the lead for good. A leadoff hit by pitch in the top of the eighth eventually lead to a another run, and in the ninth, St. Johns River (45-17) tallied three runs on two hits, two walks, and a wild pitch in a combined effort by Byhre and Liam Stumpf. The WolfPack went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Madison College did generate one more hit than than the Vikings, with three players yielding two-hit performances en route to 11 total hits for the reigning national runners-up. Marion and Slack used their two hits to produce a run scored and a run batted in each. Ross, a native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, was 2 for 5 with with a team-high two runs scored. Shepard, Roessler, and Frehner all had a hit and a run scored.

Hayes, a Muskego, Wisconsin, native, struck out eight batters over his 5.1 innings in a no decision. He was tagged for four runs on six hits and two walks. After West surrendered three runs, including one earned, on a hit and three walks in his one-third inning, the loss fell to Byhre (7-3) after 2.2 innings of work and six runs allowed, five of which were earned. The Vikings racked up the runs on three hits and five walks, while Byhre also fanned three batters. In all, the WolfPack arms combined for 11 walks, two hit batters, and two wild pitches.

Up Next: 

Madison College (44-11) will play elimination games for the remainder of their time in the tournament, starting with a Sunday showdown with #9-seed Glendale Community College (32-29), who lost their opening game against #8-seed Lackawanna Community College by a 9-1 margin in eight innings. The Gauchos swept a doubleheader in Arizona on March 14 and lead the all-time series by a 10-3 tally. First pitch in Enid, Oklahoma, is set for 4:00 p.m.with the winner playing an elimination game on Monday at 1:00 p.m. against the loser of the #2 Lansing Community College and #7 South Arkansas Community College game. 

All games can be live streamed via the NJCAA Network. Live stats are also available on the NJCAA website, with WolfPack games also live via the GameChanger app.

Follow WolfPack baseball: Facebook | Twitter