The Misericordia University baseball season came to a heartbreaking end as the Cougars fell to Washington & Jefferson, 5-4, in the NCAA Division III South Super Regional, Saturday at Tambur Field.

The Cougars fell behind early as the Presidents scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but MU battled back and had the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Postgame Press Conference

Kenny Jarema had two hits and two RBI for the Cougars and ended his career on a 36-game on-base streak.

Steve Weisensee and Tyler Holzapfel both had two hits.

Kyle Melahn struck out six batters over five innings in relief of Tom Jacob who allowed four runs through the first four innings.

The Presidents opened the game with four straight singles and added a sacrifice fly to take a quick 3-0 lead.

Jarema led off the bottom of the first with a walk and Parker Abate reached via hit by pitch.  With two outs, Holzapfel grounded an 0-2 pitch through the right side to make it 3-1.

MU got another run back with another 0-2 hit in the bottom of the second.  Conor Smith was hit by a pitch and moved on up a ground out before Jarema lined an 0-2 pitch over shortstop get within 3-2.

The Presidents had runners on second and third after a two-out double into the left field corner and made it 4-2 on a wild pitch.

Shane Hughes reached on a high-chopper to deep shortstop and moved up when Kerwien reached on an error.

After a sacrifice bunt, Sean Boylan drove in a run with a ground out to shortstop to get back within a run at 4-3.

Melahn came on in the of the fifth after allowing two singles, got two strikeouts to end the frame.

Weisensee and Holzapfel both lined opposite field singles in the bottom of the fifth, but the Presidents got thwarted the threat with an infield pop-up.

Melahn extended his strikeout streak to five straight a perfect sixth inning, but the Presidents got a run in the seventh.  After the Presidents got two singles to put runners on the corners, Melahn retired the next two batters before uncorking a wild pitch to give W & J a 5-3 lead.

After Melahn retired the Presidents in order again in the top of the eighth, the Cougars took advantage of a strange play to plate a two-out run in the bottom of the frame.

With one-out, pinch-hitter Santo Guinta hit a high pop-up in the middle of the diamond.  The ball fell in between all four W & J infielders and Guinta hustled to second for a double.  Guinta advanced to third on a wild pitch was trapped in a rundown, but scampered back to third and was safe on an errant throw.

Sean Boylan walked and Jarema made the error hurt as he lined a single back through the box to get MU within 5-4.

Pinch-runner Dalton Emerich and Jarema were speeding around the bases as Abate skied a pop-up to the mound as all four W & J infielders again converged on the ball.  W & J catcher Justin Griffin charged from behind the plate to make the catch and held onto the ball after colliding with his own third baseman.

The Cougars were retired in order in the ninth to end their season at 35-13.  Washington & Jefferson improved to 37-11 and advanced to the D-III World Series for the second time in three years.