May 26, 2007

LEWISTON, Idaho - Spring Arbor (Mich.) starter Brad Hinkle (14-0) threw a complete game, giving up five runs on 12 hits with three strike outs, as the Cougars dispatched Walsh (Ohio) 8-5 in the seventh game of the 2007 Avista-NAIA World Series Saturday at Harris Field in Lewiston.

Jon Schaible scored three runs in the Cougar-opener to the World Series, finishing 5-for-6 at the plate to lead five Spring Arbor (46-3) batters with multi-hit outings. Jesse Bachman, Matt Coulter and Brad Baker each went 2-for-5 in the win, while Jeff Tebau finished the game 3-for-3.

Walsh (29-29) fell behind early but scored five runs over the game's middle three innings to take control. However, Spring Arbor managed to score the final five runs of the game in the eighth and ninth innings to come away with the three-run win.

Following a scoreless seventh, Spring Arbor got a one-out single from Schaible to begin the eighth, followed by a hit batsman and an error that loaded the bases for the second-seeded Cougars. Eric Vojtkofsky lifted a sacrifice fly ball into right field to score Schaible, and on the throw both runners moved up a base.

With first base open, Jeff Hollister drew a walk to re-load the bases, followed by Tebeau's single through the right side that, paired with a Walsh fielding miscue, cleared the bases for three Cougar runs, leaving Spring Arbor up 6-5 after seven-and-a-half.

The Cougars added two more in the ninth, crossing on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, and Hinkle closed the complete game by retiring three-straight after allowing the first two Cavaliers of the ninth to reach.

Walsh starter Kyle Linn tossed 6.1 innings of three-run, nine-hit baseball, carding six strike outs and walking five. Chris Norris finished the final 2.2, taking the loss for the Cavaliers to fall to 5-5 on the season. Hromada went 3-for-3 in the game for the Cavaliers, while Jason Pettigrew and Chad Campbell each finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Pettigrew also drove in a pair of runs in the loss.

Spring Arbor opened scoring in the third, getting back-to-back one-out singles before a Bachman triple down the right field line plated Coulter and Schaible to put the Cougars on top 2-0. Bachman would come home a batter later, when Baker picked on right field again for an RBI single to extend Spring Arbor's lead to 3-0.

Walsh got a lead-off double from Pettigrew to start the bottom of the fourth, and after a pop-up recorded the first Cavalier out of the inning, Kade Klick came through with another double, pushing the ball to left center to score Pettigrew for the first Walsh run of the game.

Down 3-1, the Cavaliers got a one-out single to center to start the fifth from Campbell, and the Walsh shortstop moved to third when Ryan Indorf laced a single into right. Both Campbell and Indorf would score a batter later, as Pettigrew got his second extra-base hit of the game, sliding in for a triple to left center that tied the game at 3-3.

Walsh grabbed the lead in the sixth, starting as it did in the fifth with a one-out single when Jeff Nicholas slapped an offering through the right side. Catcher Tim Hromada followed with another single, and Mike Suliks moved home the first run of the inning with a third-straight hit that scored Nicholas to take a 4-3 lead. Hromada, who moved to third on the play, was replaced by Matt Marshall as a courtesy runner on the basepath, and Marshall scored on an RBI ground-out by Mark Kelly a batter later to extend the lead to 5-3.

With the loss, Walsh moves into the elimination portion of the bracket Monday, taking on Houston Baptist (Texas) at 8:30 a.m., while Spring Arbor continues its season against Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in Monday's late game.