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The Tiffin University Baseball team (29-15) pushed past Kentucky Wesleyan 6-3 and Hillsdale 7-4 in a comeback victory to place themselves in the GMAC Championship game.
The Dragons will take on Trevecca Nazarene at 12 pm in the title game at Prasco Park. Tiffin will have to defeat the Trojans twice to claim the title as TNU has yet to lose a game.
Game One:
The Panthers got on the board first as they scored one run off two hits and left one on base to lead 1-0.
The Dragons were kept scoreless until the third inning where they rallied to take a 3-1 lead. Tim Orr was walked to lead off the inning, Danny Donnelly advanced Orr to second with a single to right field, and both advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Back to the top of the order Jake Shier singled to left field to score Orr, tying the game at 1-1. Marino Pugnetti hit a sacrifice fly to center field and scored Donnelly to take the lead. Shier stole second to give him 17 stolen bases on the year, and Griffin Stevens rewarded Shier's efforts with a single to center field giving Tiffin a 3-1 lead.
The Panthers cut down the deficit to one run with a homer to left field and tied the game at 3-3 two innings later with another hit to score a teammate from second.
Tiffin responded with a big three run inning in the top of the sixth. Kyle Vance singled to left field followed by a double from Nich Green to left center scoring Vance. The next batter Orr followed Green's example hitting a deep double to center field to score Green. Zach Campbell doubled down the left field line to score Orr to gain a 6-3 advantage over the Panthers.
The pitching duo of Alan Meadows and Robert Guerrero III did well in the win as Meadows pitched 4.2 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, and recorded four strikeouts. Guerrero got his second win of the tournament as he pitched 4.1 innings in relief, allowed zero runs and six hits, and had two strikeouts.
Tim Orr did well at the plate going 2-for-2, scored two runs, and registered one RBI. Griffin Stevens and Kyle Vance each went 2-for-5 with Vance scoring a run while Stevens got an RBI.
Game Two:
The Dragons went on to face Hillsdale in the final of the consolation bracket finals and went down early with two runs scored in the first inning and two runs in the fourth to go down 4-0.
Tiffin had a never-quit attitude and put together a four run inning in the bottom of the sixth as Nich Green was walked to start the rally. Orr singled to right center to advance Green to third. Danny Donnelly came to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Green. Next at bat was Zach Campbell who hit a triple to center field to score Orr from first to cut the deficit down to 4-2. Shier was hit by pitch to put runners on first and third, then Pugnetti was walked to load the bases. Second baseman Griffin Stevens hit a single to left field with the bases loaded to score Campbell and Shier to tie the game at 4-4.
Tiffin kept the offensive outburst going as they scored three runs in the seventh to take the lead. Hillsdale walked the leadoff batter Kyle Vance and advanced him to second on a wild pitch. Next, Green reached on an error by the first baseman. With runners on the corners and no outs Orr hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Vance from third. Donnelly hit a perfect bunt down the third base line to get on base and move the runner to second. Campbell hit a single to right center to score Donnelly and Green to lead 7-4 and seal the win for the Dragons.
Zach Campbell led the offense going 2-for-4, scored one run, and led the team with three RBI.
Logan Fisher had a gutsy performance on the mound as he pitched 8.2 innings, allowed four runs on 10 hits, and recorded nine strikeouts.