Bayer, Sullivan lead Trinity Baseball to NESCAC Championship Finals

Williamstown, Mass. - Junior Jeremiah Bayer (Greenfield, Mass.) pitched a complete game and junior Matt Sullivan (North Reading, Mass.) led the offensive attack as the defending National Champion Trinity College Bantams defeated the Williams College Ephs 8-3 in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) baseball championship tournament action this morning at Bobby Coombs Field.

Trinity, ranked No. 6 in the nation, improves to 28-5 and Bayer improves to 10-0 on the year, while the Ephs fall to 25-11 with the loss.

Trinity wasted no time taking a lead in the game, senior co-captain Sean Killeen (Greenfield, Mass.) roping a 2-out double in the first, and Kent Graham (Longmeadow, Mass.) bringing him around to score with a single. The Bantams would add to that lead in the second with a towering 3-run homerun from Sullivan, just fair of the left-field foul pole.

Trinity loaded the bases in the third before knocking Williams starter, junior Paul Burgdorf (Latham, N.Y.) out of the game, and scored when freshman Alex LiDonni (Norwood, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to give the Bantams a 5-1 lead. Williams cut the lead to 5-3 in the top of the sixth after junior Al Matthews (North Hampton, N.H.) scored on a passed ball, and senior Zach Stone (Darien, Conn.) picked up an RBI single.

The Bantams quickly killed the Ephs momentum when sophomore Robert Martin (Lowell, Mass.) led off the sixth with a double and junior Jack Abbott (Longmeadow, Mass.) followed up with an RBI single. In the seventh, senior co-captain Ryan Piacentini (Portland, Me.) delivered a deep homerun over left field fence to put the Bantams up 7-3. Trinity added another run in the eighth after Sullivan and Killeen back-to-back doubles.

Killeen, Sullivan, junior James Wood (Windham, N.H.), and freshman Kevin Mortimer (Spencer, Mass.) collected two hits apiece for the Bantams, while freshman Cameron Susk (Woodside, Calif.) and senior Taylor Mikell (Williston, Vt.) had two hits apiece for the Ephs. Martin delivered several standout defensive plays at short stop for the Bantams.

Bayer spread out five hits and five walks throughout the game, but allowed no earned runs, as Williams took advantage of four Trinity errors to get on the board. freshman Dan Grossman (Indianapolis, In.) pitched well in relief for Williams, going 5.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out four.

The win puts Trinity in the NESCAC Championship finals tomorrow at 10 a.m. The Bantams will play the winner of this afternoon's 2:30 match. Trinity has two shots at clinching the NESCAC Championship tomorrow, as the tournament is a double elimination format.


Box Score