NCAA Game 15
Led by Tournament Most Outstanding Player Charles Thielmann, top-seeded Kean University avenged yesterday’s loss with a 6-1 win over Keystone to win the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Baseball Regional Championship, Sunday afternoon at PNC Field in Moosic, PA.
The Cougars, 38-11, advance to the D-III World Series in Appleton, WI.
Keystone finished 37-10.
Thielmann scattered seven hits and struck out five while earning his second complete game win of the tournament.
Nick Ramagli had two hits and three RBI, including a two-run homer, to lead the Kean offense. Andy Lopez had three hits and Tyler Smarslok and Michael Kendall both added a pair of hits.
Austin Straub had two hits to lead Keystone.
Kean broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Smarslok reached via hit by pitch and scampered around to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Lopez walked and Ramagli pushed a squeeze bunt down the first base line and beat the play with a head first dive into the bag with Smarslok scoring the game’s first run.
Joe O’Connor battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk to load the bases.
After a rare 9-2 fielder’s choice, Ryan Kelley served an opposite field single to left to make it 2-0. Keystone’s Zachary Duffy recorded back-to-back strikeouts to prevent further damage.
The Cougars were back in action the following inning when Alvarez beat out an infield single and Smarslok reached again via hit by pitch. After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Ramagli, O’Connor coaxed an RBI-walk and Sal Taormina made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.
Kean closed out the scoring in the eighth when Lopez singled through the left side and Ramagli blasted a two-run homer to left.
Keystone got on the board in the ninth on Tyler Gurman’s RBI-single.
Joining Thielmann on the All-Tournament Team were Lopez, Ramagli and O’Connor. Keystone was represented by Gurman, Rob Rogers, Ricky Riscica and Rick McLaughlin.
Misericordia’s Pete Doggett, Will Minderjahn and Kyle Lindsay also made the team along with Travis Zilg of Ramapo.
