Marietta, Ohio – May 19, 2011 – Second-seeded Heidelberg University teamed up for another victory in the 2011 NCAA Division III Baseball Mideast Regional this afternoon at Don Schaly Stadium in Marietta, Ohio. The team outing led to an 8-1 win over sixth-seeded Case Western Reserve University and increased Heidelberg’s overall record to 35-11 on the year. Its 35 wins rank fourth all-time for single season wins. Following the setback the Spartans stand at 31-14.
The victory extends nationally ranked Heidelberg’s regional record to 2-0 and moves the team along in the winner’s bracket. Heidelberg will face the Marietta College tomorrow, May 20, at 1:00 p.m. The winner of tomorrow’s outing will earn a spot in the championship game on Saturday. Championship day is a spot the Berg has visited twice in the previous three years (2008, 2010), claiming the regional title a season ago.
Helping to get the scoring going for the Berg was Andrew Buelow (Marysville, Mich. / Marysville). The senior center fielder played a varied role in Heidelberg building an early 3-0 lead. Buelow scored the first run of the game and went on to knock in the second one with a single. Finally, the third run was sent across home by Buelow following drawing a bases loaded walk. Buelow closed out the contest going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk.
In the end, Heidelberg finished with 11 hits and four different players tallied a RBI. Willie Brechun (Canton, Ohio / Canton Central Catholic) and Ricardo Lizcano (Toledo, Ohio / Roy C. Start) shared team honors with Buelow with two runs batted in. Elvin Williams Jr. (Euclid, Ohio / Euclid) had one RBI. Alex Monroe (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) went 3-for-5 and scored a run. Williams also had multiple hits with two.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Berg defense was flawless behind starter Ethan Holt (Galion, Ohio / West Holmes). Heidelberg assisted Holt to limit the Spartans to just four hits through the first eight innings. In eight innings of work Holt struck out a season-high seven batters and gave up just one run. Following the win Holt stands at 9-2. Case Western Reserve finished with five total hits. Zach O’Driscoll (Hudson, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) threw the final inning and gave up one hit and struck out one.
Both sides offense came alive in the third inning. The Berg began with three runs off of three hits in the top half. Williams had a double to left center field to plate Buelow for the first score of the game. With two on, Lizcano completed a successful hit and run to score Williams. The scoring concluded for the Berg with a Brechun sacrifice fly to center field to knock in Gar Keen (Sparta, Ohio / Highland).
In the bottom half of the inning Case Western Reserve started things off with three consecutive hits, including a leadoff home run to left field by Jimmy Abed to get on the scoreboard. Holt went on to work out of the jam and limit the Spartans to just one run.
Heidelberg went back to work in the fourth and scored two runs, one courtesy of a Spartan miscue. With runners on the corners Buelow had a RBI single to shortstop to start the scoring. Heidelberg’s hitters showed patience at the plate and loaded the bases. Derek Andrzejczak (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview) would score the second run off an error by center field following an errant throw to third on a bases loaded fly out.
Buelow once again played a role in another Heidelberg run in the fifth. He worked the count and earned a bases loaded walk to put the Berg on top 6-1.
After exchanging zeros on the scoreboard in the sixth, Heidelberg’s Brechun and Lizcano corrected the problem in the seventh and eighth. Brechun connected for a solo home run to left field in the leadoff spot in the seventh, while Lizcano had a sacrifice fly in the eighth to put the Berg on top 8-1.