Troy, N.Y. – Sophomore Robert O’Leary (Easton, Mass.) went 3-for-4, including a two-run single to key a six-run sixth inning and lead the No. 3-seeded Trinity College Bantams to a 10-2 win over the top-seeded Cortland State Red Dragons in the championship game of the NCAA Division III New York Regional Championship Tournament at Joseph Bruno Stadium this evening. The Bantams win their first NCAA Division III Regional Championship in their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and advance to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament next weekend in Wisconsin.
Trinity, ranked No. 2 in New England and No. 15 in the nation, improves to 27-10 setting a new College record for wins in a season with the victory in its second game of the day against the Red Dragons. Cortland State had forced a second game with a 4-3 win over the Bantams in 10 innings earlier in the day. The Red Dragons finish the season at 35-11. Trinity will open the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, which will be played at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisc. and co-hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Lawrence University, against Christopher Newport which won its regional tournament in Hickory, N.C.
Trinity exploded for six runs in the sixth inning to win the deciding game in convincing fashion after an incredibly closely played tournament, during which the Bantams won its three previous games by a total of four runs and split two extra-inning contests.
The Bantams got on the board first inning with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Trinity loaded the bases and senior Rob Dolliver (Norwich, Conn.) singled up the middle to score O’Leary and sophomore Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.). O’Leary and Natale had each singled to get on and were moved over to third and second, respectively, on a groundout. The Red Dragons got one back in the fifth inning as senior Brian Huber (Blue Point, N.Y.) doubled to right field with two outs and was brought home by a Matt Ellis (Oswego, N.Y.) single to left field.
Senior co-captain Kurt Piantek (Wallingford, Conn.) got the run back for the Bantams to start the sixth inning with a 425-foot home run to left centerfield. The home run was the fourth of the tournament for Piantek, who was also named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Bantams tacked on two more runs in the inning after they loaded the bases. O’Leary singled through the right side, scoring sophomore Andrew Fries (Dublin, Ohio) and Aaron Goldstein (Edina, Minn.), and brought an end to Cortland junior starter Mike Hubbs’ (Averill Park, N.Y.) day. Junior righty Ryan Ensel (Clifton Park, N.Y.) relieved Hubbs and gave up a three-run home run to Bantam junior Angel Resto (Framingham, Mass.), an opposite field shot to right field. The home run scored O’Leary and sophomore Billy Wise (Longmeadow, Mass.) and gave the Bantams an 8-1 lead. After Ensel was relieved by freshman southpaw Nick McPartland (Wappinger Falls, N.Y.), who got the last out of the sixth.
Ellis homered for the Red Dragons in the seventh, but the Bantams matched that as O’Leary drove in Fries in the bottom half of the frame. The Bantams added another run in the eighth when Fries singled in Natale.
For Cortland, Hubbs suffered his first loss of the season and allowed seven earned runs. In the tournament Hubbs allowed eight earned runs, doubling his four entering the tournament. Trinity sophomore left-hander Matthew Krant (Portsmouth, N.H.) earned his first win of the tournament allowing just two runs and six hits over eight innings of work. Bantam senior closer Craig Tredenick (Cornwall, Prince Edward Island) came on to work the final inning for the Bantams.
In the first game of the day, a sacrifice fly in the tenth inning gave Cortland State a 4-3 win over Trinity to delay the Bantam celebration for a few hours. The winning run came in the bottom of the tenth inning when freshman leadoff hitter Andy Mead (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) reached on an error and moved to second on a balk. A sacrifice bunt by senior Cory Haggerty (Ilion, N.Y.) moved Mead to third and the next batter, senior Jeff Flegler (Gloucester, N.J.), was walked intentionally. Senior Ben Albright’s (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) sacrifice fly to short right field ended the game.
The Red Dragons got on the board first in the fourth inning when Flegler, a senior, was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a double by Albright. Sophomore Nate Gagnon (Wilton, N.Y.) knocked home the game’s initial run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Trinity came right back with a run of their own in the next inning, scoring once with two outs. Wise singled through the left side and O’Leary followed with a base hit to right. An infield single by Natale scored Wise. A two-run single by Haggerty in the next inning put Cortland ahead, 3-1, in the fifth inning. Junior Neal Heaton (Bellport, N.Y.) and Mead both singled to set up Haggerty’s two-RBI base hit. Cortland held the two-run lead until the top of the eighth inning when Natale led off with a single to centerfield and Dorr immediately followed with a home run down the left field line.
Sophomore Matt Miller (Harrison, N.Y.), who pitched the final 1.2 innings (0 hits, 0 runs, 1 strikeout) for the Red Dragons, earned the win to improve to 7-1 on the season. Heaton finished with three hits while Haggerty was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Natale had three hits, a run and an RBI in five at bats for the Bantams, who saw freshman right-hander Greg Talpey (Westbrook, Conn.) suffer the loss in relief of sophomore right Chris Rodday (Concord, Mass.). Rodday allowed six hits and three runs over six-plus innings, and Talpey yielded just the one unearned run in three innings of two-hit relief.
Dorr, Krant, Natale, O'Leary, Tredenick, and MVP Piantek were all named to the 2003 New York Regional Baseball All-Tournament Team for their outstanding performances this weekend.
Game 1
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
| Trinity, Conn. (26-10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Cortland State (35-10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
BATTERY
TC- Chris Rodday, Greg Talpey (7) and Andrew Fries.
CS- Mike Burnett, Craig Robinson (8), Matt Miller (9) and Kyle Bestine.
WP: Miller (7-1)
LP: Talpey (1-2)
HR: TC- Jayme Dorr (10)
Offensive Highlights
TC- Jeff Natale – three hits, Kurt Piantek – two doubles.
CS – Neal Heaton – three hits, two hits, two RBI
Game 2
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Cortland St. (35-11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Trinity, Conn. (27-10) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | X | 10 | 14 | 1 |
BATTERY
CS- Mike Hubbs, Ryan Ensel (5), Nick McPartland (6), Craig Robinson (8),
Chad Parker (8) and Matt Ellis.
TC- Matthew Krant, Craig Tredenick (9) and Andrew Fries, Tony
O’Shaugnessy (9).
WP: Krant (3-1)
LP: Hubbs (7-1)
HR: CS- Matt Ellis (3), TC- Kurt Piantek (18), Angel Resto (5).
Offensive Highlights
CS – Andy Mead – two hits, double, Matt Ellis – two hits, two RBI, home run
TC- Robert O’Leary – three hits, two runs, three RBI, Kurt Piantek – two
hits, home run, Andrew Fries – two hits, two runs, Aaron Goldstein – two runs.