The fourth-overall seeded Oswego State baseball team (30-13) dropped a 10-5 decision to fifth-seeded University of Texas at Tyler (36-17) in the first game of the NCAA Division III College World Series on Friday morning at Fox Cities Stadium.
Both teams traded blows over the first three innings, resulting in a 4-4 tie. UT Tyler struck first with three unearned runs in the first, all coming with two outs. The Lakers immediately answered with two in the bottom of the frame. Brandon Nicholson knocked a single to short and scored from first on a triple off the top of the left field wall by John Barnes. With two outs, Myles Kutscher slapped a grounder to second but a throwing error allowed Barnes to score.
The Patriots added their fourth run in the top of the second, again with two outs. Two pitches before starting pitcher Robert Donnelly earned an inning-ending strikeout, UT Tyler had the bases loaded and a wild pitch let in the runner from third. After a scoreless at-bat for each squad, Oswego knotted the tilt at 4-4 in the bottom of the third. Nicholson reached on a walk and a Mike Dellicarri single to left – plus a fielding error by the fielder – brought around the junior. With Dellicarri standing on second, Barnes split the left and center fielders with his second triple of the game, bringing both teams back to even.
UT Tyler replied with two runs of its own in the top of the fourth. A solo home run to lead off the inning and a sacrifice bunt with a runner at third later in the frame put the Patriots ahead 6-4. In the seventh, UT Tyler would add two more as it sacrifice bunted runners to third and second for its second out of the inning. The decision paid off with a two-run, two-out single to right in the next at-bat, advancing the Laker deficit to 8-4.
Nicholson tried to begin a rally in the Lakers penultimate at-bat, leading off with a solo shot crushed over the left field fence. It was the Orchard Park, N.Y. native's third run of the day, closing the margin to 8-5. The Lakers were unable to bring anyone else around in the eighth and UT Tyler tallied a two-run homer to right to close out the scoring at 10-5.
Donnelly suffered the loss as the starter, falling to 6-4 on the year. The senior threw 6.0 innings, scattering 11 hits and surrendering six runs – only three of which were earned. Freshman Nick Antonello tossed 2.1 innings while senior Brad Wroblewski got the Lakers' final two outs.
Oswego will now play the loser of Randolph-Macon College and Misericordia University at 10 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday in a World Series elimination game.
