WINCHESTER, Va. – The No. 3/3 Shenandoah University baseball team earned its fourth-ever regional title Sunday with a 5-3 victory over No. 10 Christopher Newport University.
Shenandoah (42-8) wins its first regional title since 2019 and advances to take on ODAC rival Lynchburg in the best-of-three Super Regional beginning on Friday.
IN DEPTH
The location of the super regional will be officially announced by the NCAA, and the Shenandoah administration previously submitted a bid to host the series. SU is the No. 1 team in the South Region rankings.
Needing two wins over its former USA South rival to win the regional, SU took out the Captains (32-11) with a 14-5 victory in Sunday's first game before winning the winner-take-all contest by two runs.
Playing as the home team, the Hornets answered a CNU run in the top of the first with two in the bottom of the frame, added one in the fourth, and two more in the fifth to take total control of the contest.
Senior
Torrey Savoia (1-0), making his first-ever varsity start, was outstanding on the mound. The right-hander pitched six innings, struck out four and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks.
Brian Ferreira got the next four outs before
Parker Farrington pitched the final 1 2/3 to lock down the championship. Farrington, who had a four-inning save Friday night versus TCNJ, gave up two hits in earning his third save of the season and second in 18 hours. He and Savoia are two six SU players to earn All-Tournament honors.
Kooper Anderson, who had five RBI in the game one win, earned Most Outstanding Player honors thanks to a 2 for 3 performance at the plate in the championship and also robbing Christopher Newport of at least one run with a diving catch to end the Captains fifth.
Shenandoah took the lead for good in the bottom of the first with two runs on three hits and a crucial CNU error.
Colby Martin singled and eventually scored on a throwing error at second base before
Pearce Bucher brought home
Gavin Horning with a single up the middle.
Horning, who had singled down the right field line, appeared to be picked off by Christopher Newport starter Dylan Weber, but Captains first baseman Justin Bowers spiked his relay throw down to second in an attempt to get Horning which allowed Martin to scamper home from third.
Catcher
Brody Pickette drove home the third run with a single up the middle in the fourth while
Ryan Clawson had a two-run double in the fifth.
CNU clawed back it with single runs in the sixth and eighth with
Haden Madagan preventing the Captains from scoring another run in the eighth by throwing out Bowers at the plate on a Josh Benedict RBI single to left.
Weber (8-3) took the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits in 3.0 innings. Josh Reinhold had two hits for CNU.
Martin was 3 for 4 and Clawson 2 for 4 for the victors.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Sebastian JnoBaptise TCNJ
Justin Marcano TCNJ
Justin Bowers CNU
Sam Benedict CNU
Jack Braley CNU
Alec Reilly CNU
Colby Martin SU
Ryan Clawson SU
Kyle Lisa SU
Torrey Savoia SU
Parker Farrington SU
Kooper Anderson, MOP SU
HISTORY
- Shenandoah previously won regional titles in 2009, 2010, and 2019
UP NEXT
Shenandoah meets the other set of ODAC Hornets, the University of Lynchburg Hornets, in the best-of-three Super Regional beginning Friday. The location will be officially be announced by the NCAA.
###
