WHITEWATER, Wis. -- The Luther College baseball team in the 2021 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament at the Whitewater Regional hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, representing the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C). The Norse split their opening two games, losing to UW-Whitewater and winning the elimination game against Salem State 8-2.
UP NEXT: The Norse advance to play again tomorrow, Saturday, May 29, fighting to stay alive in an elimination game. Luther will face No. 3-seed Texas Lutheran Bulldogs (29-13, 15-3 SCAC) at 5:00 p.m. from Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Game 2: Luther 8, Salem State 2
The Norse turned around after the loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater, which finished this morning due to weather issues Thursday, to face the No. 6-seed and the automatic qualifiers out of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MSCAC), Salem State (13-11, 5-3 MSCAC).
Salem State found themselves in the score column first Friday afternoon, thanks to a 2-run home run from
Zach Piroh in the top half of the fourth inning. Luther would respond in the fifth knowing their season was on the line, and would explode in the latter half of the game, scoring eight runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, to survive to see another day in Whitewater.
Noah Sebben led off the frame with a double to left field, followed by a
Peyton Lindmark walk. A wild pitch would advance Sebben and Lindmark into scoring position, setting up the inning for the Norse. A Stamp would score Sebben on a fielder’s choice, scoring Sebben. Setting up runners on second and third,
Luke Plunkett would ground into a double play, but it would score Lindmark to even the game at two runs apiece.
The Norse weren’t done. Utilizing small ball play and patience in the batter’s box, the Norse picked up two more runs in the sixth, burning through two Viking pitchers. Schnobrich started the inning with a single up the middle and stole second.
Joe McKibben would follow that with a four-pitch walk, forcing a Salem State pitching change. The new arm immediately threw a wild pitch, advancing both runners into scoring position. Yet another pitching change for the Vikings set the stage for Vander Linden who stepped into the box with runners on second and third with one out. He would deliver with the biggest hit of the game for the Norse with a single to right field, scoring both Schnobrich and McKibben, giving Luther the 4-2 advantage.
To lead off the Norse half eighth inning, shortstop
Kelby Johnson led off the frame with a double into right field, setting up a golden opportunity to add an insurance run to their lead. McKibben would reach with another walk, setting up a first and third situation for the Norse. A safety squeeze from Michna scored Johnson to make it a 5-2 Luther lead, adding much needed breathing room for head coach
Bryan Nikkel and company. Vander Linden picked up his third RBI of the game with a single to left field, scoring McKibben from second. More Salem State issued walks would load the bases for the Norse and Stamp would take advantage of his 2-1 count and single up the middle adding the third and fourth Luther runs of the inning, extending their lead to 8-2 heading into the ninth inning.
The Norse started senior right-hander
Calvin Brinda on the mound in this elimination game, who would go the distance for Luther to keep the Norse alive in the Whitewater Regional. The senior allowed only four scattered hits, with the only damage coming from the home run. He relied on his defense to work behind him as he only struck out five batters, but kept the Viking offense off balance all game long. Brinda started his first game of the season this afternoon and improved his season record to 3-0, while picking up his first complete game of the season.
Game 1: UW-Whitewater 20, Luther 1
The first game of the regional for the Norse was against the hosts and No. 2-seed Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater (38-5, 24-4 WIAC). The game was extended to two days as Mother Nature attended the game midway through, causing a two-plus hour rain delay in the fifth inning on Thursday, before the game was called and resumed on Saturday morning. After jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first, that was all the Norse could muster. The Warhawks responded to the Norse’s first inning run with six of their own in the bottom half of the inning, and they never looked back. Only three innings did the Norse not allow any UWW runs, while they erupted for four runs and eight runs in the 4th and 5th innings, respectively.
Cullen Stamp guided the Norse offense with two hits, including a double and collecting one of the three UWW walks. First baseman
Aiden Michna picked up the other Norse hit, while
Kyle Schnobrich and
Owen Vander Linden had the other walks.
The Norse faced one of Whitewater’s top arms in
Matt O’Sullivan, holding UWW’s second-best ERA on the team at 1.47 this season, who went 5.0 innings, allowing three hits and only walking three guys, while punching out six and allowing the sole Luther run in the first frame.
