OKLAHOMA CITY (JimmieAthletics.com) – With their backs against the wall one more time on Thursday, the University of Jamestown baseball team forced a winner-take-all game in the NAIA Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket by defeating Oklahoma City 7-4.
The top seeded and bracket host Stars earned a trip to the Avista-NAIA World Series with a 4-0 victory over the Jimmies in the deciding game.
Shane Groth (SR/Sisters, OR) worked around three unearned first-inning runs in UJ’s 7-4 win. Oklahoma City scored three unearned runs in the first on just one hit, taking advantage of three walks and two Jamestown errors.
Drake Pilat (JR/Winnipeg, MB, Canada) singled in Kory Wolden (SR/West Fargo, ND) in the bottom of the first as UJ cut the deficit to 3-1.
Wolden and Pilat each had two-run singles during the Jimmies’ four-run second inning.
Leading 5-3 in the third, UJ tacked on two more runs on RBI singles by Taichi Sasaki (SR/Sakai, Osaka, Japan) and Jaden Yackley (JR/Lynnwood, Wash.).
The Stars scored a single run in the top of the eighth as Garrett Foster’s single scored Lane Milligan to make it 7-4.
Groth went the distance, allowing eight hits. He walked three and struck out six while improving his record to 7-2.
Pilat was 3-for-3 with three RBI. Wolden, Scooter Turin (SR/Sandy, OR), Pete Pennylegion (SR/Ferndale, WA), and Quinn Irey (SR/Bismarck, ND) finished with two hits each.
In the championship, Oklahoma City’s Brandon Grieger scored on a first-inning fielder’s choice for the game’s first run. The Stars added another run in the fifth on Joe Lytle’s double, then Foster hit a two-run home run off reliever Chase Thometz (SR/Sandy, OR) in the sixth to make it 4-0.
The Jimmies were unable to get much going against OCU’s Tanner Andrews. Andrews fanned 10 batters while pitching a six-hit shutout.
Cole Torgerson (SO/Billings, MT) (2-1) took the loss for Jamestown. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.
Yackley had two hits for UJ. Wolden, Turin, Tanner Roundy (JR/Henderson, NV), and Kaleb Binstock (JR/Grand Forks, ND), who doubled, had the other Jimmie hits.
Jamestown ends the season 45-11 while Oklahoma City improves to 50-8.