May 21, 2004

 

 

Emory Eliminates Virginia Wesleyan
Eagles win pitcher's duel 3-2, remain undefeated in Regional Tournament

 

MARTINSVILLE, VA - And then there were four - four teams in the 2004 NCAA Division III South Regional.

 

Top-seeded Emory University squeaked past third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan College 3-2 on Friday at Hooker Field with the help of great pitching from sophomore Tom Mieczkowski. The victory kept the Eagles (42-4), the second ranked team in NCAA Division III, undefeated in the South Regional. Virginia Wesleyan, meanwhile, became the second team eliminated from the Regional and finished the 2004 season 31-12 overall.

With the game scoreless after two complete innings Virginia Wesleyan jumped out to and early 1-0 led after Paul Johnson's double to centerfield scored Brent Voyovich from second base.  The lead would be short lived as the Eagles responded with a two-run fourth inning after Andrew Pinckney's single drove in Josh Barrett from third and Bryan Langbord's double scored Pinckney from second, giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth inning.

 

However, Virginia Wesleyan's Stephen Hatcher singled to right field, scoring Ron Easley from third tying the game 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning.  On the play, however, Hatcher was picked off first, erasing a potential go-ahead run by the Marlins. The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth inning when Langbord's double to left field scored Pinckney from third, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

 

Emory needed a key defensive play to preserve the victory, and it was in the ninth inning in Virginia Wesleyan's final at-bat. With two outs and the tying run on third, Langbord made a tremendous diving catch in right field for the final out of the game.

Mieczkowski pitched seven-and-two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on nine hits, improving his record to 8-1. Keith Meizler closed out the game picking up his 10th save of the season. The Marlins' Jason Jarrett recieved the loss despite pitching a complete game giving up just three runs on seven hits, ending his season with a record of 8-2.

The Eagles were led by Pinckney, who went 3-4 with one RBI, while Langbord drove in two runs in the winning effort.  The Marlins' Brent Voyovich and Brandon Hill each recorded two hits in the loss.

Emory will play the winner of the Salisbury, Mary Washington game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 22.

 
 

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