Tournament Recap: Bulldogs Advance To GLVC Final Four

Game 1: Drury 9, Truman 2 || Box Score
Game 2: Truman 9, Lewis 7 (10 Innings) || Box Score
Game 3: Truman 13, Indianapolis 12 (10 Innings) || Box Score
Game 4: Drury 17, Truman 5 || Box Score

2014 Schedule || 2014 Season Stats || Truman Record: 26-28 (18-18 GLVC)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Truman Baseball team advanced to the final four in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament over the weekend in Evansville before being eliminated by eventual champion Drury (Mo.) University on Saturday night. Truman set several new school records in the process including most wins in a season with 26.

Blake Deaton had a monster tournament for the Bulldogs as he had eight hits over the four games and drove in five RBIs while as a team, Truman hit .325 and swiped 13 of 16 stolen base attempts.

Truman came in as the seventh seed and lost their opening round contest to second-seeded Drury. The Bulldogs had two thrilling extra-inning games to stave off elimination. They watched Lewis (Ill.) score three times in the bottom of the night to tie Thursday's nightcap at four only to score five runs in the 10th and held on for a 9-7 win.

On Friday, the Bulldogs and Indianapolis played an eight-hour marathon, aided by a four-hour rain delay the cumulated with a seven-run come-from-behind rally by the Bulldogs to walk off with a 13-12 win just before midnight.

The magic ran out as the scene shifted to historic Bosse Field in Evansville as the Drury Panthers scored four runs in the first en route to a 17-5 win to eliminate the Bulldogs from the tournament.

Truman Season Wrap-Up

Truman set team season records in runs scored (292), hits (482), RBIs (248), stolen bases (118), hit-by-pitches (76), fielding percentage (.961) and most importantly wins with 26. The team posted the fifth highest batting average for a season at .289.

Individually, Paul Trenhaile rewrote the Bulldog record book for hits in a season (71), most chances (516) and putouts (477). The junior was third in single-season RBIs with 39 and second behind Jarod Hahn in hit-by-pitches with 14. Hahn set a new record with 16 this season.

Corban Williams and Zak Larkin also had big years. Williams set a new club record in steals with 35 and was successful all but two attempts this season. He tied for third in runs scored (42) and finished tied for ninth in hits at 56. Larkin had the most at bats by a Bulldog in a season with 196, in fact, four players this season (Trenhaile, Williams and Blake Deaton) finished in the top 10 in at bats. Larkin tied Kenny Swanson's 2011 record for most walks with 31 and finished right behind Williams in steals with 31.

Mark Roberts threw the fifth most innings in a single-season by a Bulldog hurler with 78. The staff as a whole had the second fewest walks issued per nine innings at 3.27 this season. The bullpen tied a school record with nine saves and Truman played in 19 one-run games going 10-9.

Head Coach Dan Davis became just the second Bulldog manager to eclipse 100 career wins at the school Davis earned victory 100 against Marvyille (Mo.) earlier this season and has 111 during his Bulldog tenure.

GLVC Tournament Game Summaries

Game 1 – Truman vs. Drury
The Bulldogs fell into the elimination side of the bracket after a 9-2 defeat at the hands of second-seeded Drury. Truman missed out on some early opportunities as they stranded four runners in scoring position in the first two innings. The Panthers scored three times in the bottom of the first then added three more in the fourth after Truman got a run back in the top half of the inning.

Truman's run came on a bunt single off the bat of Will Nader that scored Blake Deaton, however after Drury scored a trio of runs in their half, the Panthers added two more in the fifth and another in the sixth to take control.

Corban Williams tripled and scored in the seventh to go along with his three hits on the day while adding two more stolen bases to his record-setting year.

Cody Gardner took the loss, throwing five innings and allowing 12 hits and six earned runs.

Game 2 – Truman vs. Lewis
Facing the Flyers in the elimination game, Lewis grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Ben Albano that plated Drew Buddle.

Will Nader sparked the offense that had just two second inning hits with a bunt single to lead off the sixth. He got to second on a balk then tied the game when Williams doubled to right center. Jarod Hahn delivered a clutch two-out single to score Williams and a 2-1 Truman lead.

The Bulldogs added single runs in both the seven and eighth innings with Blake Deaton scoring on a wild pitch and Nader hitting an infield single for a 4-1 advantage.

Albano doubled to start the bottom of the ninth for Lewis and Austin Mastela and Joe Sparacio followed with singles off starter Mark Roberts. A sac bunt moved the tying run to second for a single up the middle by Mike Barajas to even things at four apiece. Barajas went to third on the second out of the inning but Chris Allard relieved Roberts and got Buddle to fly out to center to send the game into extra innings.

Dave Gambino singled and stole second with one-out in the 10th and Blake Deaton shot a ball up the middle on a 2-2 pitch while pinch runner T.J. Wood raced home for the 5-4 lead.

Deaton was thrown out at home on a single by Mike Monfre but that didn't quell the Truman rally as Nader walked and Zak Larkin doubled to left scoring pinch runner Tyler Hill and Nader. Williams singled in Larkin for what later proved to be the game-winning RBI and Paul Trenhaile brought in Williams with a hit to right.

The Flyers would not go away quietly as Jake Murray led off with a single and would score on a base hit by Jared Pyatt. Two more runs scored on an error with two-outs but Allard got Joel Rotkvich to fly out to right to end the game with the tying run on second.

Allard moves to 3-0 on the season after Roberts pitched eight and two-thirds, throwing 114 pitches.

Game 3 – Truman vs. Indianapolis
A four-hour rain delay and a seven-run deficit turned into a 13-12 extra inning Bulldog win on Friday night over the University of Indianapolis at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament. Truman will face Drury (Mo.) at 3:00 p.m. Saturday as one of four teams remaining in the tournament.

The wild affair ended eight hours after it began and in wild fashion. With Truman trailing 12-11 in the bottom of the tenth, Blake Deaton collected his fourth it of the game to score pinch runner Tyler Hill with the tying run and after getting to third on a single by Adam Bainbridge, Deaton scored the winning run when junior pitcher Brett Collins committed a balk.

Deaton drove in four runs while going 4-for-6 and scored each time. Paul Trenhaile was also 4-for-6 at the plate, including a triple in the fifth inning.

The Bulldogs jumped on the Greyhounds with two runs in the bottom of the first. Indianapolis was reeling a bit from watching a three-run lead evaporate in the top of the ninth against Drury an hour earlier sending them into this elimination game.

The Greyhounds scored to make it 2-1 in the second before the skies opened up and rain fell in the Evansville area. The game was delayed for four hours and Indianapolis tied it coming out of the break on a two-out double in the third.

Under the lights now, the Greyhounds pounded out five hits and scored five times in the sixth to go up 7-2 on the Bulldogs. Deaton singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and came in on Zak Larkin's single to get a run back only to watch the 'Hounds score three more times to lead 10-3 after the top of the seventh.

The comeback began when Jarod Hahn drew a lead-off walk and Kyle Smith and Dave Gambino followed with hits. Deaton drove in two with a hit to left and Wyatt Fones drove in Gambino with a single. Deaton scored the fourth run after Will Nader struck out and the ball got away to cut the lead to 10-7.

Indianapolis tacked on a run in the eighth to lead 11-7.

In their half of the eighth, Trenhaile reached on a single to left and Hahn walked. Two straight strikeouts calmed the nerves in the Indianapolis' dugout but Deaton again delievered with a clutch single scoring Trenhaile.

A wild pitch brought in Hahn to cut the lead to 11-9 and Fones singled to left scoring Deaton to bring the 'Dogs to within one. A throwing error by the third baseman allowed pinch runner T.J. Wood to score from second to tie the game at 11.

Indianapolis stranded two in the ninth and the Bulldogs went quietly in their half.

A two-out single by Dan Eliopulos scored Joe Trennepohl to put the Greyhounds back on top 12-11 in the 10th.

Gambino reached on a one-out error and Tyler Hill pinch ran. Hill stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch to set up Deaton's heroics again. Deaton singled in Hill to tie the game then scored on the balk.

Tyler McCreary got the win in relief, pitching two-plus innings of work. He was the fifth Bulldog pitcher of the game.

Game 4 Truman vs. Drury
The Panthers remained perfect on the season against the Bulldogs and moved to the GLVC Championship game with a 17-5 victory over Truman, ending the team's season.

The scene shifted to historic Bosse Field in Evansville. The ballpark is the third oldest in the United States behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Drury jumped on starter Logan Moose for four runs in the top of the first inning and added single runs in the third and fifth to lead 7-0.

The Bulldogs got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. Blake Deaton watched four balls go by, then went to second on a wild pitch and later scored on a wild pitch.

The Panthers opened up the game with a seven-spot in the seventh with the big blow by Luke Tewes by virtue of a three-run homer.

Jarod Hahn ignited a rally for Truman in their half with a lead off double. He would score on a single by Dave Gambino and Mike Monfre followed with another hit to plate T.J. Wood. Will Nader was hit by a pitch to bring home another run and Zak Larkin hit a sac fly scoring Deaton for the four run inning. The Bulldogs however left the bases loaded.

Consecutive doubles by the Panthers in the eighth led to a four-run inning of their own to close out the scoring.

Moose was saddled with the loss and was followed to the hill by Tyler Spencer, Taylor Brooks and Austin Olendorff as it was the fourth game in three days with the two previous games needing extra innings.

Austin Faulconer worked six innings before surrendering the four runs in the seventh to pick up his seventh win of the season.

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