SANFORD, Fla – Rochester earned a 3-2 victory over Case Western Reserve at the University Athletic Association baseball championships in dramatic fashion on Thursday evening.
Left fielder
Sam Slutsky and third baseman
Brian Munoz combined to cut down the potential gamewinning run at second base after Case pulled within 3-2.
The Yellowjackets led, 3-0, entering the ninth.
Josh Schulman sandwiched a walk between two outs. Andrew Gronski hit a run-scoring single for Case which put runners at the corners. Cleanup hitter Andrew Frey singled to left. One run scored as Gronski raced to third. Frey tried to stretch it to a double, but Slutsky threw to Munoz who relayed the ball to
Ethan Sander and he tagged out Frey, ending the game.
Earlier in the game, Munoz threw out Gronski at the plate after the catcher tripled.
Dan Warren scattered five hits, walked three, and struck out eight in a scoreless performance over 6.2 innings for his first win this year. Schulman earned the save. In 2.1 innings, he allowed three hits, two earned runs, and walked two with one K.
Schulman relieved in the seventh with two on and Rochester ahead, 2-0. He walked Gronski, then got out of the jam by retiring Frey on a bounceout to
Brendan Garry at first.
Rochester scored twice in the fifth.
Lance Hamilton walked and stole second. Munoz singled through the right side, bringing Hamilton home. Munoz took second on the throw home and advanced to third when
Nate Mulberg grounded to short. Sander grounded back to the mound. Munoz headed home, then got caught in a rundown and stayed in it long enough to allow Sander to reach second base. He scored from there when
Josh Ludwig singled through the left side.
In the seventh, Hamilton walked and stole second. Munoz fouled out but Mulberg's groundout moved Hamilton to third. He scored on Sander's single to right.
It was the first loss of the UAA Tournament for Case (10-2, 5-1). Rochester is 1-5 overall and in the UAA.
