GRAND CHUTE, WIS. – Linfield College scored two or more runs in seven consecutive innings and the Wildcats defeated Cortland, 25-11, in a winner's bracket game at the NCAA Div. III World Series. Linfield will face either Heidelberg or Illinois Wesleyan in the winner's bracket final Sunday at 7 p.m., while Cortland will play Johns Hopkins in an elimination game Sunday at 12 p.m.

Zach Boskovich went 3-for-3 with three walks, two RBI and three runs scored and Kelson Brown was 4-for-7 with five RBI and four runs scored to lead a 20-hit Linfield attack. Tyson Smith and Dustin Smith each reached base five times – Tyson was 2-for-3 with three walks and three runs and Dustin went 2-for-3 with three walks, three RBI and four runs scored. In addition, Ryan Larson was 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs, Rhett Fenton drove in four runs and Mitch Webb hit a three-run homer.

For Cortland, senior Andersen Gardner (Fairport) hit two home runs and finished 2-for-2 with a walk, two hit-by-pitches, four runs scored and three RBI. Senior Steve Nickel (Lake Ronkonkoma) finished 3-for-4 with a homer, walk, three RBI and two runs. Sophomore Matt June (Colonie) was 2-for-5 with three runs scored and junior Alex Coffey (Hilton) came off the bench and finished 2-for-2 with two RBI.

Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Gardner solo homer, and Gardner hit a two-run homer in the third that tied the game at 3-3. Linfield scored three runs in the second and three on Webb's homer in the third off Red Dragon starter Mike Assmann (Auburn). The Wildcats added three more runs in the fourth to go up 9-3.

Nickel's three-run homer closed the gap to 9-6 in the top of the fifth, but Linfield came back with four runs, two unearned, in the bottom of the inning. The Wildcats tacked on two more runs in the sixth, with Cortland answering with a run on a Jason Simone (Utica/Thomas R. Proctor) RBI groundout in the seventh.

Linfield blew the game wide open with eight runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Wildcats sent 14 batters to the plate in that inning – the second time they batted around during the game – and at one point in the inning had nine consecutive batters reach base via hit or walk. Linfield also scored twice in the bottom of the eight. Cortland scored the last four runs in the top of the ninth on a Khyle Dimino (Brighton) bases-loaded walk, a Coffey two-run single and a throwing error. 

“QUOTE”BOOK:

Cortland Head Coach Joe Brown:

“We hoped for a little better beginning to the game. It was a challenge early and we were forced to go to our bullpen.”

“Andersen Gardner is…simply one of the best baseball players in the country. He can't make any (All-America) teams, but is probably one of the best players that I've coached.”

“Linfield did a great job. For us to come back and score those runs, and for them to come back and hit a home run…it was a great by them. They put pressure on you. We knew that. They're going to run. They're going to go first to third...That's going to be tough to defend by anybody. You've got to play a good baseball game (to beat them).”

“We're alright. Two teams went home today, and neither one was us. We're going to play a very, very good baseball team in Johns Hopkins…our team is optimistic.”

NOTEBOOK:

* Jason Simone extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the top of the first inning. Simone is the ninth player in school history with at least a 20-game hitting streak and the second this season. Matt June hit safely in 22 games before his streak was snapped during the NCAA regionals. The school record is 26 games by Craig Kerner in 1998.

* Andersen Gardner hit two home runs in a game for the third time in his collegiate career. He had two homers as a sophomore at Randolph-Macon and again as a junior vs. Brockport in the 2009 SUNYAC tournament. One of his homers vs. Brockport came against his current Red Dragon teammate Kris Gentzke.

* Steve Nickel's home run was his 11th of the season, tied for second-best in school history in one season along with Steve Wanamaker (2002), Dave Tidick (1998) and Heath Falzarano (1996). The school record is 13 homers by Alex Steele in 1997.

* Cortland catcher Justin Fredenburg threw out Linfield's Tyson Smith trying to steal in the first inning. Smith entered the game as the nation's top base stealer in Div. III with 41 stolen bases in 45 attempts during the season.

* Outfielder Kevin Jackson made his first pitching appearance in two seasons with the Red Dragons. Jackson's last collegiate pitching appearance was an inning and two-thirds outing for the University of Maine during the 2008 season – his only previous college pitching experience.

* Linfield is coached by former New York Yankees and Oakland A's third baseman Scott Brosius. He's in his third season as head coach after spending five years as an assistant coach for the Wildcats. Brosius played at Linfield and was an NAIA All-American. He was drafted professionally in 1987.

* Cortland's rally from a 7-1 deficit Friday vs. Wis.-Stevens Point tied the Red Dragons' best comeback victory in NCAA tournament play (92 total NCAA games through Friday). Cortland overcame a 7-1 deficit versus Rhode Island College to win 9-8 in 10 innings in the 2005 NCAA regionals in Auburn.

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