Thunderducks Bow Out after 11-inning Semifinal
AUBURN, N.Y. – Dallas College Richland baseball team's road came to an end after a pair of 11-inning games at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series Tuesday at Falcon Park.
Richland beat top-seeded SUNY Niagra 8-6 in 11 innings before falling 3-2 to Century College in 11 innings. It was the second straight year the Thunderducks (38-24) advanced to the elimination semifinal, taking different paths each year.
Century (46-10) moves on to play Rowan College South Jersey-Gloucester in the championship round Wednesday night.
Bobby Gutierrez crushed a two-run homer to right in the 11th inning to break a 6-6 tie, lifting Richland past top-seeded SUNY Niagra (51-2) in the first semifinal elimination game.
The Thunderducks scored six runs in the fifth to jump all over SUNY Niagra. Lukas Boone stole third, and scored on error. Gutierrez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Sean Amarante to score. Trey Smith drove a two-run single to left to make it 4-0. Gutierrez stole third, and scored on an error. Jhosnel Ruiz singled to left to bring home Smith to stake the 6-0 lead.
But the Thunderwolves chipped away at the deficit, scoring one in the sixth, two in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to tie it. Dyck's RBI single to right-center in the sixth put the Thunder Wolves on the board for the first time. Christopher Finocchario ripped a two-run double down the left field line to cut Richland's lead in half in the seventh. Nigel Sebastianelli homered in the eighth, and Weston Thompson singled to left-center to drive in a run, pulling SUNY Niagra within 6-5. Braeden Dyck's sacrifice fly in the ninth tied the game.
Two innings later, Gutierrez's blast over the wall in right put a charge into the Thunderducks, and Richland reliever Logan Sanders closed the door.
It was Gutierrez's seventh home run of the season. He was 1 for 4 with a walk, three RBI and a stolen base. Smith went 1 for 5 with two RBI and a stolen base. Ruiz went 1 for 5 with an RBI. Amarante went 1 for 4 with a stolen base. Connor Haelzle was 1 for 3.
Sebastianelli went 3 for 6 with the solo homer for the Thunderwolves. Dalton Harper was 2 for 4 with a double and two stolen bases. Finocchario was 1 for 4 with two RBI and a stolen base.
Sanders (2-0) went the final 3.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and a walk, and struck out two in the victory. Thunderducks starter Aidan Valenzuela worked four innings, giving up only a hit and a walk, while fanning five.
Richland scored at least one run off each of the three Thunderwolves' pitchers.
In the second semifinal elimination, the Thunderducks took a 2-0 lead when Amarante belted a solo shot to left in the bottom of the second. Jordan Owns' RBI single to right-center put Richland ahead 1-0.
Century tied the game at 2-2 in the third on Adrian Warcken's two-run double to right-center. Jack Erickson's sacrifice fly to score Jack Huberty in the 11th was the gamewinning RBI.
Amarante went 2 for 4 with his team-leading 14th home run of the season. Owns was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Haelzle was 1 for 5. Amarante, Owns and Valenzuela each were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Caden Besemer was 2 for 5 for Century. Warcken went 1 for 2 with two RBI and four walks. Hunter Guenther, Connor Larsen and Huberty each had one of the Wood Ducks' six hits.
Richland relievers Ryan Sidener pitched 2.2 innings, giving up a hit and five walks without surrendering a run. He had two strikeouts. Mason Posey pitched three scoreless innings, allowing a hit and two walks. He struck out five.
Century's Seth Luther (5-1) got the win in relief, allowing just a hit in four innings of work.
It was the second time Richland and Century met in this year's World Series.