ENID, OKLA. - In a wild - and controversial -
NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series elimination game Wednesday night, the championship dreams of #5 Madison College were ended with a 10-8 loss to #9 Iowa Central Community College.
Tyler Butina hit a fifth-inning grand slam to give the WolfPack a 7-4 lead. The Pack went 2-2 at this year's national tournament, moving their all-time record at
David Allen Memorial Ballpark to 25-28. It was the program's 13th trip to Enid and 14th appearance at the Division II World Series, with the program finishing fifth for the fourth time since 2018.
The Tritons scored the game's first runs, putting three on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Three walks by starter
Carson Klaus loaded the bases, and a fourth walk forced in the game's first run. A two-run single by the next batter made it 3-0.
Madison College answered back with two runs in the top of the second. With two runners on following a leadoff single by
Nate Novinska and a walk to
Howie Rickett, a dropped fly ball by the ICCC right fielder off the bat of
Ryan Santi allowed Novinska to cross home. Rickett later scored when
Beau Bloxdorf dropped a bunt back to the pitcher.
After a pitching change brought
Chase Baker to the mound in the fourth, Iowa Central added another run with a two-out single with two runners on.
The game seemed to turn in Madison College's favor in the top of the fifth. A walk and a single put two aboard for
Chris Calico, and the sophomore delivered a single up the middle to drive in Bloxdorf. Following a walk of
Marcelino Edison Alonso to load the bases, freshman transfer
Tyler Butina made the Tritons pay with a grand slam over the wall in the right field corner. It was his seventh homer of the season. Now leading 7-4, the Pack tacked on another. Novinska was aboard due to an error by the third baseman, and an errant pick off throw to first moved the freshman up to third base for
Howie Rickett, who also singled on a ground ball to center to bring home Novinska and seize a four-run advantage.
Unfortunately, the lead did not hold up very long, as the Tritons took advantage of an error by Butina on a potential inning-ending double-play to eventually score four runs on three hits to pull even at 8-8.
In the bottom of the sixth, two walks sandwiched around a hit by pitch from reliever
Carter Lund filled the bases for ICCC, and a second hit batter forced in the go-ahead run. A sacrifice fly two batters later made it 10-8.
Madison College fought hard to attempt a late-game rally, but left two runners in the seventh, and eighth innings. In the ninth, two walks and a hit loaded the bases with two outs for sophomore
Jalen Gellings, the team's leader in batting average. Gellings eventually chopped a grounder up the middle that was fielded by a diving shortstop, who tagged second base to end the game.
NJCAA Photo Gallery - Elimination Game - Madison College vs. Iowa Central Community College
Calico, a native of West Salem, Wisconsin, went 3 for 3 with a walk, a run scored, and a run batted in. He hit .428 with four runs scored and three more batted in for the tournament.
Novinska and
Charlie Schau each had two hits, with Novinska crossing home a team-best two times. Butina drove in four runs and scored another with his lone hit. The Jefferson, Wisconsin, native now owns four games with four or more RBI. Rickett and Bloxdorf each tallied a hit, a walk, a run driven in, and a run scored, while Gellings finished with one hit, two walks, and a run scored.
On the mound, Klaus worked three innings and struck out three batters, while allowing three runs on two hits, four walks, and a hit batter. Baker was credited with five earned runs on five hits and three walks, to go along with a pair of K's in his 1.2 innings. Lund tossed 1.1 innings, with two runs given up on two walks, and
Sam Steuber pitched the final two innings without surrendering a run. He struck out three and allowed one hit and one walk.
Follow WolfPack baseball: Facebook |
Twitter
