Here’s roundup of local college baseball action on Saturday, June 3:
Division I
Wake Forest 21, Maryland 6: After a nearly six-hour weather delay, the top-seeded Demon Deacons (49-10) rolled past the Terps (42-20) to advance to the final of their host NCAA Tournament regional in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Maryland will face George Mason, an 11-3 winner over Northeastern, in an elimination game Sunday at noon for the chance to face Wake Forest again Sunday night.
Led by two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and likely first-round MLB draft pick Rhett Lowder, the Demon Deacons dominated from start to finish, as Maryland surrendered 15 walks and 14 hits. Lowder allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk in six innings while striking out 11, moving his ERA to 1.77.
Nick Lorusso was one of the few Terps to deliver at the plate, hitting his 25th and 26th homers to set the school’s single-season record. After breaking up Lowder’s perfect game bid with a solo shot in the fourth, he hit a two-run blast off Michael Massey in the seventh that cut the deficit to 9-3.
Wake Forest scored four runs in the first against Maryland starter Nick Dean, who allowed eight runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Trailing 10-3 in the seventh and facing a quick turnaround, the Terps called on freshman infielder Caleb Estes, the 2022 Baltimore Sun All-Metro Baseball Player of the Year at Archbishop Spalding, to pitch. He walked three batters and allowed a single before freshman pitcher Joey Colucci got the final two outs, but Maryland ended the inning down 15-3.
Ian Petrutz hit a three-run homer in the eighth to cut the deficit to 15-6, but the Terps unraveled again in the bottom half behind a makeshift bullpen. Catcher James Heffley loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch and two walks before a single and a sacrifice fly plated two more runs. Matt Orlando then allowed a grand slam by Danny Corona to make it 21-6.
Division III
Johns Hopkins 10, Baldwin Wallace 6: Shawn Steuerer drove in six runs as the top-seeded Blue Jays (46-5) beat the No. 5 seed Yellow Jackets (37-11) to advance to the final day of bracket play in the College World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Johns Hopkins, which has yet to lose in the double-elimination tournament, will play Monday against either Misericordia or Baldwin Wallace. Monday’s winner advances to the best-of-three championship series, which starts Wednesday.
In the sixth inning, Steuerer hit his second bases-clearing double in as many days to give the Blue Jays a 6-2 lead. He finished 3-for-5, while Jake Siani, Dillon Souvignier (3-for-4), Tripp Myers (1-for-4) and James Stevens (1-for-3) each drove in a run.
Starting pitcher Kieren Collins allowed two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking two. Ben Keever, Jaspar Carmichael and Matt Savedoff allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits in relief to help close out the win.
Salisbury 7, Wisconsin-La Crosse 2: Kavi Caster (South River) hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to help the No. 2 seed Sea Gulls (36-7) defeat the Eagles (36-12) in a College World Series elimination game in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Salisbury, which lost 7-3 to East Texas Baptist on Friday, will face the Tigers again Sunday at 4 p.m. for a chance to continue its run in the double-elimination tournament. The winner plays No. 3 seed Lynchburg on Monday.
After Danny Sheeler (Loyola Blakefield) drove in a run on a groundout to second to put Salisbury ahead 3-2 in the fifth, Jacob Ference singled and stole second and Caster drove him in with a two-run blast. Ference hit a two-run double in the ninth to extend the lead, but it would be more than enough run support.
Starter Jackson Balzan pitched a complete game, allowing just two runs (one earned) on nine hits while striking out three.
Division III softball
Salisbury 14, Rowan 1: The top-seeded Sea Gulls (46-4) scored seven runs in the first inning and cruised to a victory over the No. 6 seed Profs (42-10) in a College World Series elimination game in Marshall, Texas.
Lauren Meyers (C. Milton Wright) hit a bases-clearing double in the first inning, Madi Lemon went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Lindsey Windsor (3-for-4), Carrie Jacoby (2-for-3) and Natalie Paoli (2-for-5) each drove in two runs as Salisbury finished with 16 hits. The Sea Gulls added six runs in top of the seventh to cement their program-record 46th win of the season.
Windor allowed just one hit in four shutout innings, and Nicole Ortega and Madison Taylor surrendered one run on four hits in three innings of relief. They combined for five strikeouts and one walk.
Salisbury will take on No. 5 seed Berry, an 8-1 winner over Moravian, on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the final day of bracket play in the double-elimination tournament before the finals begin Tuesday.
