Misericordia University Athletics

Susquehanna University held on for a thrilling 5-4 win over Rowan, Thursday at PNC Field to advance to the winner’s bracket of the 2014 NCAA Baseball Mid-Atlantic Regional in Moosic, PA.

Casey Hood scattered 12 hits over 8.2 innings to improve to 9-1 and Matt Smith got the final out to notch his 12th save.

Dylan Glassmire had three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Crusaders while Taylor Luckenbill, Dylan Jenkins and Tom Shields all had two hits. 

Ty Raubenstine added a two-run double for Susquehanna as they improved to 30-12.

Ryan Pavlik, Kevin McMenamin and Rich Powelson all had two hits for Rowan who fell to 33-11 after their three-run ninth-inning rally fell just short of tying the game.

Rowan took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.  Kevin McMenamin lined a single to center and took third when Rich Powleson was thrown out at second after lacing a single down the right field line.  Stephen Petriello dropped a soft liner to left to score McMenamin.

Susquehanna took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth.  Dylan Jenkins singled to right and Tom Shields reached when his sacrifice bunt was mishandled.  After two strikeouts, Ty Raubenstine roped a two-run double into the left center gap.

The Crusaders tacked on two more in the sixth.  Dylan Glassmire doubled over the first base bag and moved to third on Bryan Palsi’s bunt single.  After Kyle Semmel’s squeeze bunt, Jenkins lined a single of the glove of a diving attempt by shortstop Ryan Williams to put runners at the corners.  Shields lined a single to right to make it 4-1.

A two-out rally in the eighth stretched the lead to 5-1.  Shields singled with two-out and moved up on a wild pitch in front of Jared Musilli’s RBI-single to center.

The Profs mounted a charge with two outs and the bases empty in the ninth.  McMenamin was hit by a pitch and Stephen Petriello lined a single to left.  Nick Kreiger slapped an 0-2 pitch inside the left field line to drive in McMenamin and Petriello raced all the way around on an error with Kreiger ending up on third.

Kreiger pulled Rowan to within a run on a wild pitch and Ryan Pavlik singled to put the tying run on base but Smith induced a line out to right to end the game.

Susquehanna will play Baldwin Wallace in the winner’s bracket final, Friday at 4:30 while Rowan will face Misericordia in an elimination game at 1:15.