LIMA, Ohio - It was a gutsy performance by senior
Jonathan Cheshire and a clutch three-run homer by
Brian Sobieski which allowed Davenport baseball to advance to the WHAC Tournament final round on Tuesday (May 9). The Panthers picked up a 5-2 win over Madonna to stay alive in the tournament and they also have a return trip to the NAIA Opening Round as the WHAC's second team by finishing at least runner-up in the tournament. Northwestern Ohio received an automatic berth by winning the WHAC regular season and now the Panthers will need to defeat the seventh-ranked Racers twice in order to win the WHAC Tournament. The two teams will face off at 3 p.m. at Racer Field as DU will try and extended the tournament into Wednesday with a win.
Cheshire has been the Swiss army knife all season for the Panthers (41-14) out of the bullpen and he once again rose to the occasion. He entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the second inning and wiggled out of the jam allowing no runs. He induced a double play and then got a strikeout to end the threat. Davenport used that momentum swing into the top of the third and scored four times.
Jeremy Vasquez and
Matt Hoge singled to start the inning as Hoge's single moved Vasquez to third base. The tandem then got into a run-down situation as Hoge was tagged out between first and second and Vasquez scored on a throwing error by starting pitcher Cliff Landess.
Austin Petravicius followed with a single and
Anthony DiPonio also singled to setup the big bat of Sobieski. The junior hit his 11th home run of the season over the left field fence for a 4-0 advantage.
Davenport added another run in the top of the fifth against relief pitcher Layne Gusler. Hoge walked on a full-count pitch and moved to second on a grounder to third.
Nolan Page had a two-out, RBI single to right field for the 5-0 lead. Madonna quickly got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth as Jalen Thomas doubled with two outs to start the rally. Ryan Lambrecht followed with a RBI single and WHAC Player of the Year Taylor Grzelakowski doubled home Lambrecht to left center to cut it to 5-2. Cheshire stranded a pair to end any more damage. The Crusaders left four runners on base in their final four at-bats as Cheshire improved to 9-3 this season. He fanned eight and walked just one moving his season strikeout total to 104 against just 12 walks. Petravicius had a pair of hits and a run scored in the leadoff spot. Page also had two hits in five at-bats.
