W&J opens Super Region with win
ANNVILLE – Roman Samson cracked a bases-loaded hit that scored two runs and secured a 5-1 victory by Washington & Jefferson’s baseball team over Lebanon Valley in the first round of the NCAA Division III Super Regionals Friday.
The win raises W&J’s record to 36-8 while Lebanon Valley fell to 30-15.
The second-seeded Presidents will play top-seeded Rowan, a 7-1 winner over Mitchell, today at noon in a semifinal game. Lebanon Valley, the third seed, will play fourth-seeded Mitchell at 8:30 a.m. in an elimination game.
W&J had a precarious 2-1 lead, heading into the seventh inning. The Presidents would add one in the bottom of the seventh and Samson’s bases-loaded hit in the bottom of the eighth would put the game away.
In that inning, Nate Rush cracked a two-out single and moved to second on an error. The next two batters walked before Samson drove a hit down the left-field line.
Tyler Horvat picked up the win in relief of Henry Littman.
The game was interrupted by rain in the third inning. When action resumes, both starting pitchers – Kyle Kingsbury of Lebanon Valley and Henry Littman of W&J – were replaced.
W&J took an early lead, scoring a run in the first. Horvat opened the inning with a single and moved to second on an errant throw by the Lebanon Valley shortstop on a ground ball by Nate Rush.
Peter Kalinski then grounded into a double play, but allowed Horvat to move to third base. Evan Sante singled in Horvat.
The Presidents made it 2-0 and Horvat was in the middle of it again with a one-out single and stole second. Rush moved Horvat to third on a groundout and Horvat scored on a wild pitch.
Lebanon Valley cut the lead in half by scoring a run in the top of the fifth. Ethan O’Loughlin started the inning with a sing and moved to second on a single by Shane Stossel. O’Loughlin scored on a single by Ryan Murphy.