DuBois, PA – The CMCC Baseball team secured its first victory at the USCAA Small College World Series in program history with a 10-2 win over #6 seeded Florida National University. Cody Cleaveland hit a grand slam home run as part of a six-run first inning for the Mustangs and Lee Robertson earned the win on the mound in a game that eliminated the Conquistadors from the national tournament.
The overcast and drizzly weather suited the Tuesday afternoon game that functioned as the first round of the loser's bracket in the double elimination format, putting the Mustangs' backs against the wall after their opening loss to Central Penn.
The team showed no signs of letting that first defeat affect them, with Robertson striking out one and allowing just one hit in a defensively clean top of the first. The bats were also active early on once again with the team batting around the order in the first inning for the second straight game.
Brandon Gour led off with a single and advanced to third base quickly after a couple of wild pitches from FNU starter Josh Higgins. Garren Post and Logan Carpenter worked one-out walks to load the bases, and ball four to Jake Calver brought the first run across the plate. Cleaveland took advantage of the pitching struggles, jumping on a first-pitch fast ball to launch a hit high down the left field line. The ball swayed in the wind but stayed fair and cleared the tall 315-foot fence, bouncing off the pavilion and into a window perched on top for a grand slam home run that made it 5-0 Mustangs. It was the second home run of the season for the freshman from Richmond, ME who was playing in his second USCAA national tournament of the year, after winning the men's soccer championship as a starting goalkeeper in the fall.
Zac Gorman struck out on the next at-bat, but Ryan Stone worked a walk bringing an early end to Higgins' day. Isaiah Franco came on in relief, but did not get much immediate help from his defense. Teddy McFarland hit a towering infield pop-up that shortstop Jason Altuve tried to track down. He drifted all the way into second baseman Samuel Del Valle's natural position before ultimately dropping it, allowing Stone to race home for a 6-0 lead after one.
The Conquistadors did pull a run back in the top of the third. Lead-off hitter Adrian Roman was hit by a pitch and worked his way to third after a couple of balls skipped wide of the plate with the rain intensifying. That allowed designated hitter Christopher Rivera to bring him home with a sac-fly to right field.
There was some concern that the Mustangs might have a repeat of their first game at the tournament, scoring a boatload of runs in the first inning but having the bats go silent thereafter. However, the team showed it had learned its lesson in the fourth. Robertson bounced back with a one-two-three top half of the inning, and McFarland led off the bottom half with a line drive into center field. Gour moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt and Hayden Durrell singled through the gap to put runners on the corners.
That sparked the first of three pitching changes in the inning for Florida National. Aliozmany Alonzo came in to pitch to the left-handed hitting Post but gave up an RBI single to right field. Tristan Petty was next up, facing two batters with Carpenter reaching on a ground ball with the shortstop failing to get the lead runner out at third. Calver then drew his second bases loaded walk of the game to plate another run to go up 8-1. Evan Dalmau was next out of the bullpen, getting Cleaveland to ground into a double play to end the scoring threat.
The fifth was almost a carbon copy with another perfect inning from Robertson on the mound and another two runs scored by the offense. Hayden Durrell drew a bases loaded walk off Dalmau to score the courtesy running Steven White. Big right-hander Mario Benjamin was next up out of the bullpen. The former minor league prospect of the Oakland Athletics got Post to fly out, bringing McFarland across the plate to make it 10-1.
Roger Viloria drove in FNU's second run of the game with a groundout to second base with two runners in scoring position. When Ismark Gonzalez drew a two-out walk to put runners on the corners, Leo Woods replaced Robertson on the mound to close out the game. The Conquistadors loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with two outs, but the freshman pitcher from Vancouver, BC induced a ground ball to short from Viloria and Cleaveland stepped on second for the final out.
CMCC ended the game with nine RBIs on seven hits and eight walks. Robertson claimed his second win on the mound this spring in just his third start, striking out three and allowing three hits. Woods recorded the final four outs in relief, giving up just two hits of his own.
The game at Showers Field was the second time the Mustangs had played at the stadium this season, having faced Penn State-DuBois there during the team's March road trip to Pennsylvania where they took on both #1 Mont Alto and #2 DuBois. Central Maine advanced to the next round of the loser's bracket later that night against #7 seeded Penn State-Schuylkill.
