Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Truman State University Athletics

TeamTrophy_NCAAMW15
Paul Halfacre, Kirksville Daily Express
6
Winner Truman State TSU 35-20
3
Ashland ASHLAND 38-19
Winner
Truman State TSU
35-20
6
Final
3
Ashland ASHLAND
38-19
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Truman State TSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 6 11 1
Ashland ASHLAND 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 13 1

W: Young, Peter (3-0) L: Brandyn Sittinger (4-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Tyler Madsen, Athletics Communications

Cary Calls: Baseball Advances to NCAA-II World Series

ST. CHARLES, Mo.  - - Seven days ago, the Truman State University baseball team received word that it would be playing in its first NCAA Div. II tournament in school history.
 
It didn't take long to one-up that accomplishment.
 
A bases-clearing double by senior Zak Larkin with nobody out in the top of the ninth inning broke open a 3-3 tie and propelled the Bulldogs to the NCAA Div. II College World Series with a 6-3 victory against Ashland (Ohio) in the championship game of the Midwest regional. The victory capped a perfect 4-0 weekend on the Lindenwood University campus, as Truman will carry the Great Lakes Valley Conference flag to Cary, N.C., next weekend for games beginning on Saturday, May 23.
 
"These kids are amazing," head coach Dan Davis said during his post-game interview. "Cody [Gardner] displayed huge guts going back out to the mound after just two days off, and the guys as a whole never quit. It was a well-earned and well-deserved victory for those guys down there on that field."
 
All nine runs came in the final three innings, as Gardner – who bounced back on just two days rest after throwing a complete game shutout against William Jewell to open the regional on Thursday – and Ashland's Brandyn Sittinger threw zeroes on the scoreboard for the first six innings of play. However, the Bulldogs finally broke through first in the top of the seventh, when senior Jarod Hahn singled to left field to score freshman Brendan Trimble.
 
Despite the Eagles landing two runs in the bottom half of the inning, two key defensive plays kept Truman in the game. The first came during AU's first run-scoring play, as senior shortstop Blake Deaton back-handed a ball destined for center field and fed freshman Michael Venturella at second base for a forceout. After the Eagles plated a second run on a Steve Mowry single through the right side, junior T.J. Wood fired a missile from center field on another Ashland base hit, gunning down pinch-runner Edmond Pilolli at the plate for the final out, as sophomore catcher Wyatt Fones reached back to apply the tag.
 
Larkin singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt to start the eighth, before senior Paul Trenhaile drove him home on the first pitch seen to even the score. After sophomore Dave Gambino singled and moved Trenhaile to third, Trimble lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to score the senior and give Truman a 3-2 lead.
 
That lead was short-lived again, however, as AU needed just three batters in the bottom half to tie the score. Two batters later, the Eagles had the bases loaded and one out, but freshman closer Peter Young induced a 4-6-3 double play ball to end the inning.
 
Truman then worked to put Hahn, Fones, and Wood all on to start the ninth, forcing AU to bring in its closer, Alex Smith. Larkin, however, greeted the first pitch with a rope into the left field corner, bringing home all three runners and giving the 'Dogs a 6-3 lead. Larkin would be stranded, but the damage was done and a cushion built.
 
A one-out single gave the Eagles a baserunner in the bottom of the ninth, but Young got a groundout and an infield popout to end the game, clinching the CWS berth for Truman.
 
Larkin led all Bulldog hitters with a 3-for-3 day at the plate, as he added two walks to reach all five times out of the leadoff spot. Trimble and Hahn each chipped in two base hits and an RBI, with Trenhaile logging Truman's sixth RBI of the afternoon. Gardner threw seven innings of eight hit ball, striking out four and walking four while giving up just two earned runs. Freshman Matt Tometz logged 0.1 innings of relief, before Young got the final five outs and improved his mark to 3-0 on the season as the winning pitcher.
 
In addition, Gambino, Larkin, Deaton, Wood, and Gardner were each selected to the all-tournament team, with Gardner capturing Most Valuable Player honors.
 
The Bulldogs – now 35-20 overall – will continue their storybook season this coming weekend at the Div. II College World Series, held at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Truman has already shattered the previous school record for single-season wins (26) and has parlayed its already-guaranteed first +.500 season since 1982 and first NCAA tournament berth with the program's first CWS appearance.
 
Due to the potential of a no-Sunday play institution advancing from the West region, the official schedule for the CWS will not be released until Monday evening following conclusion of play in all eight regionals. For the latest information regarding the team's trip to North Carolina, be sure to follow our social media platforms on Facebook (Truman State University Bulldog Athletics) and Twitter (@TrumanAthletics / @TrumanBaseball), or sign up for the team newsletter at the top of TrumanBulldogs.com.
--Want to stay up-to-date with what's going on with the Bulldogs?--
Support Truman Athletics || Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram || Subscribe to your favorite team's newsletters/releases || Receive text alerts of scores/big news
Print Friendly Version