The NYIT Bears defeated reigning East Region Champion Southern New Hampshire, 6-3, to advance to the program’s first Division-II College World Series next week in Cary, NY.
On May 10, the Bears were shutout, 4-0, by the University of Bridgeport to get eliminated from the ECC Tournament. Now, 15 days later, those Bears are hoisting the trophy that proves they are one of the top-8 teams in the nation.
This game did not feature the high drama of Friday night, as E.J. Cumbo got the Bears’ offense going with a three-run shot to open up a 3-0 lead. It was Cumbo’s seventh HR of the season and his 44th RBI of the season. His team totals are unbelievable (.453 AVG, .525 OBP/..692 SLG, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 43 R, 19 BB, 19 K, 22-25 SB). He’s been able to do that in only 159 at bats, which is 50 fewer than SS Ben McNeill.
Ryan Kuskowski followed with an RBI single to score Jake Lebel to bring his season RBI total to 49. That knocked out Penmen’s starter Endy Morales, who had fired back-to-back-back complete games an hadn’t gone less than 5 innings since March 24 against New Haven.
In the fourth inning, John LaRocca‘s RBI single extended their lead to 5-0 to give starter Joseph Murphy a comfortable lead but things got interesting in the fifth inning.
Murphy allowed a walk, a single and two walks to force in a run. Coach Catalanotto went to Chris Keenan in relief, who allowed two inherited runners to score on a HBP and a walk to make it 5-3, but just as they have done all season long the Bears made the right move and found a reliever to step up. Freshman Joe Keller, who has pitched in plenty of big games while in MacArthur HS, navigated through the jam unscathed with a ground out of Jake Coro, who hit two home runs on Friday.
Incredibly, Keller pitched the rest of the game–4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K, to send his team’s into a dogpile on the mound. He needed only 57 pitches to do so.
John LaRocca had three hits and Chris Campbell had two hits for the Bears who will await their seed to be announced on Monday.
The 37-14 Bears are riding a five-game win streak and with all the confidence in the world. Here are the other seven participants in the CWS.
-UC San Diego (40-14)
-Catawba (47-12)
-Colorado Mesa (50-10)
-Tampa (41-14)
-Ashland (47-13)
-Central Missouri (43-14)
