SUNY Cortland Athletics

2011 NCAA DIVISION III BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Auburn (NY) Regional – Thursday, May 19, 2011

Game six: #7 Clarkson University (NY) 5, #6 Ramapo College (NJ) 2. (Ramapo eliminated)

Recap by Mark Coley

AUBURN, NY – Less than 13 hours after dropping a heartbreaking 10-inning, one-run loss, seventh-ranked Clarkson University scored twice on a pair of outfield hits in the fourth inning and made the lead stick with three runs in the seventh inning to finish with a 5-2 win over sixth-seeded Ramapo College (NJ) in the second elimination game of the day at the 2011 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Auburn (NY) Regional at Falcon Park, co-hosted by SUNY Cortland and the Auburn Doubledays.

The Golden Knights (20-18), the Liberty League tournament champion, advance to face the loser of this evening’s winner’s bracket contest between host SUNY Cortland and Eastern Connecticut State University in the opening game of the day on Friday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. The Roadrunners, the 1984 NCAA Division III national champion making its eighth NCAA tournament appearance (first since 1988) finish the season at 30-14.

Junior first baseman David Kinney (Mexico, NY) was the lone Clarkson player with multiple hits, batting 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a run batted in, which came as part of a two-run, four-hit seventh inning on a double down the left field line. Junior designated hitter Dan Padrazo (Setaucket, NY/Ward Melville) and senior right fielder Garrett Russell (Lake George, NY) each went 1-for-3, with Russell scoring a run with two RBI (a double to left center field with one out in the fourth and a bases loaded walk in the seventh) and Padrazo scoring a run on a single to right center field with two out in the fourth.

Ramapo cut the lead to three in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs with two-out as senior infielder Pat Driscoll (Sparta, NJ) scored the team’s opening run on an RBI single to shortstop and senior pinch hitter Nicholas DiGirolamo (Dumont, NJ) followed with a run scoring single to centerfield, but Clarkson retired six of the final nine batters, yielding only one hit, to end the game. Driscoll was the lone multiple-hit player for the Roadrunners, hitting 2-for-4.

Sophomore right hander Bryan Chuddy (Goshen, NY) recorded the complete-game victory for Clarkson to improve to 8-2 on the season. Chuddy faced 35 batters and allowed six hits, two runs (one earned) and a walk while striking out five. Ramapo sophomore starter Frank Baldini (Old Bridge, NJ) picked up his first loss of the year (5-1), giving up five hits, two runs, and two walks with a strikeout in facing 17 batters in three and two-third innings.