West Virginia State vs. Seton Hill
(WEST LAWN, PA)---Mike Leviseur's fifth inning grand slam broke open a pitcher's duel as Seton Hill downed West Virginia State 6-0 in an NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional opening round matchup. First team All-WVIAC pitcher Brian Warheit went the distance for SHU to improve to 7-4.
Warheit was in command all evening, scattering five hits and walking none. He struck out six and did not allow more than one State hit in any inning.
The Griffins (36-19) used the running game to set up their first score in the third inning. Dave McCarthy drew a one-out walk, swiped second, and later scored on Pat Trettel's RBI single to center field. The run-scoring hit ran the senior catcher's RBI total on the year to 79, just three short of tying the WVIAC single-season record.
Nate Defilippi got things going for SHU in the fifth with a leadoff single to right. McCarthy added a single to left and then Trettel walked to load the bases in front of Leviseur. The designated hitter then blasted the second pitch of the at-bat from WVSU starter John Gale over the right-center field fence for a 5-0 Griffin lead.
Seton Hill added an insurance run in the eighth when Defilippi coaxed a bases-loaded walk from State reliever Jordan Butcher that plated Tom Deangelis.
State's best opportunity to get on the board went by the wayside in the top of the first. Shortstop Josh Bower started the game with a hit, advanced to second on a Warheit pickoff attempt gone awry, and then moved to third on Robert Hawkins' groundout. However, Bo Darby lined to second and Ryne Holstine flew out to left to squelch the Jacket threat.
The SHU attack scattered their contributions up and down the lineup as eight of the nine starters got hits. Trettel and Deangelis notched two hits apiece as the Griffins owned a 10-5 advantage in safeties to win their first-ever NCAA post-season contest.
WVSU (29-13), which fell to Seton Hill for the third time in a week, saw Bower and Jobst each provide pair of hits. Gale allowed 10 hits and six runs in 7 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. He fanned seven and walked two during his 115-pitch stint.
Seton Hill advances to face defending regional champion West Chester at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. WCU downed Mansfield 9-6 in the day's opener. State faces California (PA) at 2:30 p.m., a 4-3 victor against top-seed Kutztown.
