By By Ryan Satcher
May 17, 2003
CLINTON Wartburg College scored 12 runs over the final three innings to come back to take a 13-12 win over Millsaps College and avoid elimination in the NCAA Division III Central Regional being played here at Mississippi College's Frierson Field.
Millsaps jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in Friday's early game, but could not hold off the Knights.
With the win, Wartburg moves into Saturday's third-day of action in the double-elimination tournament to play Carthage College, a 13-2 winner over Fontbonne University, at 3 p.m.
Millsaps, now 26-10, will play at 11 a.m. against the loser of Friday night's late game between Mississippi College and Emory University.
After falling behind early to the Majors, the 33-11-1 Knights, rallied to take a 10-7 lead in the top of the eighth, only to have Millsaps scor five in the bottom of the eighth to regain the lead.
Wartburg retaliated with three in the top of the ninth to go up 13-12.
At that point WC coach Joel Holst called on little-used reliever Tyler Archer to pick up the save.
After hitting the first batter, Archer got a fly out and a ground-ball double play to pick up his second save of the season, despite only pitching 3.2 innings all year.
The Majors jumped out to a big lead with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.
K.K. Aldridge started the rally with a bunt single and Bo Roberts followed with a walk. Matt Yglesias brought in Aldridge with a single to make the score 1-0.
Stuart Phillips followed with a two-run triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Staines to make the score 4-0 after one inning of play.
After the Knights scored a run in the top of the second, the Majors added three more runs in the third.
Yglesias reached on a walk to start the inning but the Knights settled down to get two outs in the inning. Joseph Thrash grounded the ball to third for what looked like the final out of the inning, but the third baseman made an error on the throw to extend the inning.
Matt Renna made the Knights pay for the error with an RBI single to make the score 5-1. A balk brought in another run and Ryan Skertich stayed hot with a double to bring in Renna to make the score 7-1 after two innings.
The Knights came back to score two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to make the score 7-5.
Wartburg came back to take the lead in the top of the eighth inning with a big five-run inning.
Joel Reynolds had an RBI double to tie the game and a singles by Brian Greiner and B.J. Meaney gave the Knights a 10-7 lead.
The Majors came back with five runs in their half of the eighth inning.
Randall Vaughan was hit by a pitch and Aldridge and Roberts singled.
Yglesias brought in a run when he was hit by a pitch.
Stuart Phillips walked to bring in another run and Staines helped Millsaps tie the game with an RBI single.
The Majors took back the lead as Prentiss Lawson brought in Yglesias with a single. Skertich finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly to make the score 12-10.
The Knights weren't ready to go home just yet, however, and answered with three runs in the top of the ninth to take back the lead and the win.