Matthew Johnson

MARIETTA, Ohio – After coming back from an 8-5 deficit during a wild bottom of the ninth, The College of Wooster was unable to complete an extra inning rally as Penn State Behrend scored two in the 10th and hung on for a 10-8 win during a first-round game in the NCAA Div. III Baseball Championships Wednesday at Marietta College's Don Schaly Stadium.

Now, Wooster (34-8) will square off against Marietta (32-12), which fell to Thomas More College 4-3 in 10 innings earlier in the day, in an elimination game on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Last year, the two teams played for the regional championship, with the Fighting Scots winning and going on to finish as the national runner-ups.

It appeared several times that Penn State Behrend (30-15), which jumped out to a 5-0 lead through two innings, would prevail in nine, however, Wooster kept battling back, highlighted by three unearned runs in the ninth.

Matthew Johnson started that frame with a walk, and an out later, Stu Beath found a hole through the right side for a single. Then, things got interesting as Matt Groezinger sent a grounder to second for a potential game-ending double play, but instead, there was an error on the throw over to short, allowing Johnson to score without any out recorded.

Next, Greg Van Horn greeted the Lions' closer, Ryan Zamiskie, with a well-struck RBI single through the left side to make it a one-run game (8-7). A strikeout later, the Scots were down to their last out and pinch hitter Michael DeBord hit a nubber just left of the mound. Zamiskie slipped on the wet turf (there were two different rain delays), but still attempted to make the throw and it was wild, which resulted in Groezinger scoring the tying run.

In the top of the 10th, Jonathan Gray, who earlier in the game had a big three-run homer that elevated Penn State Behrend's lead to 8-4, singled up the middle with one out. After Matt DeGrand, who had been effective over 3.2 innings of relief, fell behind 2-0 on the next batter, the Scots went to Tyler Fugate. A sacrifice bunt and intentional walk ensued, the latter including a wild pitch, all of which resulted in runners on the corners with two outs for Dustin Dubensky, who sent a soft liner into shallow center. Wooster's Chris Wood made a dive for it, but the umpires ruled a trap, and both runners ended up scoring during the sequence.

The Scots appeared they had some more magic left when Shane Swearingen led off the bottom of the frame with a hard single up the middle, but then the Lions were able to get Johnson out for the first time all day. Beath drew a two-out walk – the 17th combined walk between the two teams – to bring the winning run to the plate in Groezinger, but Zamiskie was able to induce him into a grounder back to the mound.

Penn State Behrend set the tone early with an unearned run in the top of the first, followed by a four-spot in the second, highlighted by a two-out, two-run triple from Ryan Liddle.

Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the third, Johnson sparked Wooster's offense with an RBI triple to left-center that plated Swearingen, who had walked. Johnson came home via a sacrifice fly.

In the fourth, the Scots loaded the bases with no outs when Zack Vesco took a hit by pitch, Michael Wellstead drew a walk, and Wood beat out a bunt single. One run came in on a double play and then Johnson drove home Wood on a single to right field to make it 5-4.

Gray's three-run dinger over the right-field fence came during the sixth and Van Horn answered with a seventh-inning solo shot to left, which began the comeback bid.

Overall, Johnson reached base in five of six plate appearances, going 3-for-4 with two walks to pace Wooster, while Van Horn was nearly as effective by batting 3-for-4 with one walk.

Gray posted a 4-for-5, 5-RBI stat line in leading the Lions.

The one run charged to DeGrand gave him the loss (5-2), while Zamiskie extended his perfect record to 7-0.