WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Macalester College baseball team was eliminated at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Tournament with a 3-2 loss in 11 innings to St. Thomas Friday afternoon at UW-Whitewater's Prucha Field. The Scots end their historic season with a record of 26-17, while the Tommies (27-17) stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.
St. Thomas took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the third inning. Macalester tied the score in the bottom of the fourth, when junior
Collin Brantner (Farmington, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) singled with senior
Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Indiana Academy) on first. Brantner got caught between first and second, and Stuart came around to score during the rundown to tie the game at 1-1.
Then in the seventh, Stuart hit a two-out single to plate first year
Carl Francalangia (West Hartford, Conn./The Loomis School) for a 2-1 lead. In the top of the ninth, St. Thomas put runners on first and second with two out for pinch hitter Josh Thorp, who laced a single to left-centerfield that tied the score at 2-2. The game remained tied until the top of the 11th, when Hunter Hart singled home Jake Smith for a 3-2 lead.
Sophomore
Sam Goldberg (N. Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootton) drew a two-out walk and senior
Alex Dash (New York, N.Y./Columbia Grammar & Prep) singled, putting runners on first and second in the bottom of the 11th. But reliever Shaun Falbo retired the final batter on a groundout to end the game.
Senior
Dylan Edwards-Gaherty (New York, N.Y./American Studies) ended his collegiate career with a gem, allowing two runs on five hits while walking five and striking out three in nine innings. Brantner was 3-for-5 at the plate, while sophomore
Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) had two hits.
The loss ends one of the most successful seasons in Macalester baseball history. The Scots finished fourth in the MIAC to qualify for just their third MIAC Playoffs in 18 years. Once there, Macalester won three straight games to win the MIAC Playoff title for the first time and receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championship. This week's regional marked the first time the baseball program has qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The seniors who completed their collegiate careers today are Edwards-Gaherty, Stuart, Dash,
Peter Bertel (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest),
Anson Justi (Columbia, Md./McDonogh School),
Doug Lewis (Duluth, Minn./Marshall),
Brendan O'Connor (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont),
Jamie Progebin (Washington, D.C./Maret) and
Sam Thomas (Kansas City, Mo./Pembroke Hill).
2017 NCAA Baseball Midwest Regional, hosted by UW-Whitewater
Thursday, May 18 (home teams listed first):
Game 1 – No. 5 UW-La Crosse 11, No. 4 St. Scholastica 2
Game 2 – No. 1 UW-Whitewater 4, No. 8 St. Norbert 2
Game 3 – No. 3 Adrian 5, No. 6 St. Thomas 2
Game 4 – No. 2 Concordia Chicago 8,
No. 7 Macalester 3
Friday, May 19
Game 5 – No. 4 St. Scholastica 2, No. 8 St. Norbert 0
Game 6 – No. 6 St. Thomas 3,
No. 7 Macalester 2 – 11 inn.
Game 7 – No. 5 UW-La Crosse vs. No. 1 UW-Whitewater, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8 – No. 3 Adrian vs. No. 2 Concordia Chicago, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 20
Game 9 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7, 10 a.m.
Game 10 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8, 1:15 p.m.
Game 11 – Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 4:30 p.m.
Game 12 – Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10, 7:45 p.m.
Sunday, May 21
Game 13 – Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 11, 12 p.m.
Game 14 – Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 13, 3:30 p.m.
Monday, May 22
Game 15 – Winner of Game 14 vs. Loser of Game 14, TBD (if necessary)
NCAA Midwest Regional Website
