One game down, one, possibly two, to go. The national championship series got started on Friday with game one of a possible three, and it was the South representative, Nova Southeastern, inching one step closer to a national championship, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the title series opener.
Game Thirteen
Nova Southeastern - 2
Millersville - 1
W: Mateo (9-4); L: Miller (12-2); S: Raftery (16)
Box Score
The championship series got started with one of the best pitching match-ups of the year across the entire season and the entire country. Millersville's Brandon Miller, the top Division II MLB Draft prospect according to the MLB.com Top 200 list (#188), went up against one of the South region's best starting pitchers in Alex Mateo for Nova Southeastern, and neither disappointed.
The Marauders actually got on the board first in the bottom of the third, as Dan Neff singled to lead off, moved to second on a balk, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and easily came in to score on a two-out RBI triple from Chas McCormick.
That 1-0 lead was short-lived, however, as the Sharks responded in the next half inning. In the top of the fourth, it was a Brandon Gomez launch to the left-field power alley, his 21st of the season, that tied the game up at one a piece.
In the top of the sixth, NSU went ahead for good. After a lead-off walk for Kevin Suarez, Andres Visbal laid down a bunt and moved to second on a throwing error, while Suarez came all the way around from first to score the go-ahead run. Miller did well to get out of it without further trouble, getting a foul out and two strikeouts to end the inning.
The Marauders put the tying run on second in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but closer Devin Raftery buckled down and got a strikeout and fly out to end the game and send the Sharks only one game away from earning their first national championship.
The starters, Mateo (8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) and Miller (9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), were incredible.
For Millersville, they will have to win twice on Saturday to claim the national championship, while NSU needs only one win.
Game Fourteen
Nova Southeastern (43-16) vs Millersville (53-6)
Saturday, June 4th, 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Live Stats
Live Video
Game Fifteen (If necessary, only if Millersville wins G14)
Nova Southeastern (43-17) vs Millersville (54-6)
Saturday, June 4th, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
National Finals Tournament Page
When it comes to Saturday, I actually think Millersville has the advantage when it comes to starting pitching. Millersville should have both Jim McDade (12-0, 2.76 ERA) and Kyle Peterson (5-0, 3.42 ERA) at its disposal, while Nova Southeastern will most likely lead with Alex Kline (4-1, 2.35 ERA) who had a stellar performance on the mound on Tuesday, but then has a choice to make for the winner-take-all game three if it gets there, and while the options are still good, they probably aren't as comfortable as they would be with their then-unavailable pitchers.
Of course, the offense is constant. For both teams, it is a strength no matter who is on the mound, despite what Friday's game looked like. Millersville had the best offensive numbers coming in to the tournament of any team at the finals, and NSU had one of the best power-hitting teams in the country. For the Sharks, all it takes is one swing of the bat to turn a game around or put a game away. For the Marauders, they can get to almost any pitcher in the country if they are focused.
No matter what, Saturday is going to be a fun day. Neither of these teams has won a national championship, or even played for one in the championship series/game. A program will earn a crown jewel for its school, no matter who wins. Enjoy the day, and enjoy some top-notch college baseball!
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