GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Fourth-ranked University of California San Diego scored in six straight frames and hardly needed it behind a five-hit shutout by Kyle Goodbrand in rolling past No. 16 St. Thomas Aquinas College, 10-0, at the 2017 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship at AirHogs Stadium on Thursday evening.
UC San Diego, the designated home team, improved to 43-18 on the season. St. Thomas Aquinas, the East Region champion from Sparkill, N.Y., and a winner of six in a row heading in, fell to 44-16.
UCSD survives elimination for a third straight day, and sets up another rematch and effectively a rubber game with STAC, at 1 p.m. PT on Friday, June 2. The Tritons (3-1) dropped a rough 6-5 decision in 12 innings to the Spartans (2-1) in both teams' opener on Sunday, but have responded by racking up 31 runs in three victories since. Thursday's result puts each side at one loss. Friday's winner moves into Championship Saturday, needing to beat No. 6 West Chester (3-0) twice.
Goodbrand (6-0), a redshirt junior right-hander out of Mission Viejo, walked four and scattered five singles during his first complete game as a Triton. He struck out six. It marked the third complete game and second shutout of this 2017 NCAA Championship for UCSD, having entered the postseason with none, following Chula Vista products Troy Cruz and Adrian Orozco (one-hit shutout) back to back at the West Regional in Azusa, May 18-19.
Goodbrand, who spent his first three years out of Tesoro High School at, in order, Arizona State, Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College, had previously not gone longer than 7.1 frames for UCSD, that outing coming at the 2017 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship in Stockton on May 12, when he took a no-hit bid into the eighth. Goodbrand's older brother, Ryan, starred for the Tritons as their ace in 2012 and 2013.
The game started two hours and nine minutes later than the scheduled 3 p.m. local due to multiple lightning-strike delays, but that didn't have any apparent ill effect on Goodbrand or anyone else in a navy jersey.
Goodbrand walked his very first batter, Joseph Peña, but redshirt sophomore catcher Michael Palos collected a ball in the dirt and with the runner trying to take second, fired a strike to senior shortstop Tyler Howsley to get the key out. A groundout and swinging strikeout cleared the initial frame.
Senior rightfielder Jack Larsen began the home half by working the count full and lining a single to center, but junior right-hander Anthony Shkrelja fanned Brandon Shirley before Tyler Durna lined a screamer into the glove of first baseman Bobby Morse, who doubled up Larsen.
Goodbrand worked around a one-out single in the second with a pair of ground-ball outs ahead of a second inning-ending swinging strikeout in as many frames.
UCSD struck first in the second. Alex Eliopulos (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) gave his side a second leadoff single. On a hit-and-run play, JD Hearn was unable to make contact, but the catcher's throw was well left, giving the redshirt sophomore his first stolen base as a Triton. Moments later, Hearn went big fly over the wall in left center for his eighth of the season and a 2-0 lead.
With one away, true freshman Chad Crosbie worked real hard for a nine-pitch walk, and Palos followed with a five-pitch free pass. Shkrelja got a big strikeout on Howsley. Larsen then turned an 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 count, fouled one off, and finally grounded out to second baseman Nicholas Lucchese to end the frame.
Goodbrand got in some trouble in the third after a second-pitch single through the left side by Greg Dawber. The third baseman moved to second on a groundout back to the Triton pitcher that probably should have been a double play, but Goodbrand's throw to Hearn was high. UCSD was somewhat fortunate to get even one out, as the batter, Cris Ruiz, stumbled out of the box. Goodbrand rallied, getting Peña to foul out to Eliopulos off of third, and then Lucchese to fly out sharply to Larsen in right.
Shirley came right out and took Shkrelja's first offering of the home third and drove it into right center, the ball rolling all the way to the wall and it never really in doubt that the speedy senior would be standing on third when play resumed. It was Shirley's team-best fourth triple of 2017, and second in as many days. Shkrelja put Durna down on the strikes, but walked Eliopulos on four tosses. With the count even at 1-1, Hearn put down the suicide squeeze. Shkrelja picked it up and the toss in fact beat Hearn, but it was off line and Ruiz was unable to hold it.
With two gone, Crosbie was plunked to fill the bags, and Palos then took a 3-2 pitch high for ball four to force in Eliopulos for 4-0. Following the game's first pitching change, Howsley grounded into an inning-ending fielder's choice to end the rally.
Goodbrand posted his first 1-2-3 inning of the evening in the STAC fourth, getting two quick outs on a first-pitch groundout and then a flyout from the Spartan slugger, Giovanni Dingcong. Then Eliopulos dove to the line, got up and threw a bullet across the diamond to rob Shkrelja, who remained in the game as the designated hitter.
Three pitches in the home fourth, Larsen sent his CCAA-best 23rd double opposite field into the gap in left center. He moved to third on a wild pitch ahead of successive walks to Shirley and Durna to load the bases. Eliopulos took a strike and found the hole between the first and second baseman for a two-run single and 6-0. Durna went from first to third, barely beating the relay and hanging onto the bag for dear life to avoid the tag. UCSD left him stranded there for his good work. Durna did not go on a deep flyout by Hearn, as the Tritons didn't test Dingcong. After a strikeout and wild pitch, Crosbie drew his second walk to fill the bags again, but John Bednarek got the swinging strikeout.
Goodbrand, meanwhile, found his groove, retiring 10 straight between the leadoff Dawber walk in the third, until a one-out infield single in the sixth, stringing together back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth. He needed just seven tosses in the fifth for a groundout, popout and swinging strikeout.
Larsen almost single-handedly manufactured his own run in the fifth to make it four straight innings with a run scored for the Tritons. He worked a one-out walk, the 140th of his illustrious career, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on Shirley's comebacker, and scored on another wild pitch by Alex Mack, STAC's fourth hurler. Facing a 2-2 count, Eliopulos then found space up the middle to line an RBI single.
The Spartans threatened to cut into their deficit in the sixth, moving runners to second and third with just one away after a called third strike for openers and then successive singles and a wild pitch. Goodbrand buckled down, however, fanning Bobby Morse for the second out. A great battle with Dingcong, after the senior took a close two-strike pitch, went the way of STAC for a walk to load the bases. Shkrelja then hit a liner, but Hearn got up and hauled it in to end the inning, still at 8-0.
Two more walks led to another run for UCSD in the sixth as Crosbie and Palos again went back to back with one away. STAC was unable to turn the double play on Howsley, and Larsen made them pay for allowing him to bat in the frame, lining an RBI single to right for 9-0.
Goodbrand put together his third and final 1-2-3 frame of the day in the seventh thanks to a flyout, foulout and groundout on which he covered the bag at first. The foulout consisted of Palos ranging all the way over from behind the plate and making the tough, sliding grab up against the STAC dugout. Goodbrand ducked around a two-out walk in the ninth./p>
The Tritons finally stopped scoring after a leadoff Durna triple to the opposite field in left center in the seventh, and eventually a two-out wild pitch.
Eliopulos finished 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base. Larsen continued his sizzling form, going 3-for-4 with the double, walk, two runs and one RBI. Hearn went 1-for-3 with the home run, a sacrifice, run and three RBI. Durna was 1-for-3 with his triple, two walks and two runs. Shirley had the triple in four official at-bats, one walk, and two runs scored.
UCSD wound up with 11 walks on the day, one shy of matching its season high, and also had a hit-by-pitch for 12 free passes. Crosbie and Palos had three walks each, both collegiate highs, in the No. 7 and No. 8 spots of the order, with Crosbie accounting for the lone hit-by-pitch. He scored once, with Palos gaining credit for an RBI on the bases-loaded walk. Crosbie unofficially saw a remarkable 31 pitches.
With the result in hand, seniors Justin Flatt, Christian Leung and Tim White saw action late, White and Flatt in fact combining on the 4-3 putout to end the contest.
Shkrelja (4-2) allowed four runs on four hits and four walks over 2.2 innings, striking out three. The Spartans used four more pitchers after him. Peña was 2-for-3.
Triton Notes: UCSD is 28-17 over nine NCAA Division II Championship appearances, including 14-7 in its fourth trip under head coach Eric Newman ... The Tritons are 8-4 at the D-II finals ... UCSD is 1-1 all-time against St. Thomas Aquinas, both meetings coming at this NCAA Championship ... Tyler Howsley extended his consecutive games played streak to 170 dating back to the 2015 opener ... Jack Larsen has appeared in 125 straight games, all of them starts ... JD Hearn has appeared in 92 games in a row, all of them starts ... Hearn, Howsley and Larsen are the only Tritons to appear in all 61 games this season, with only Hearn and Larsen starting each ... Kyle Goodbrand drew his 10th start of the season ... Larsen's leadoff single in the first extended his reached-base streak to 43 games, a program record for the NCAA Division II era (since 2001), besting 41-gamers by Jeff Riddle (2004) and current teammate Tyler Durna earlier this season ... Hearn's second-inning home run was UCSD's league-best 53rd of the season, the senior's eighth as a Triton, and first since May 6 ... Brandon Shirley's third-inning triple extended his career-best hit streak to 13 games ... Larsen's fifth-inning walk gave him 140 for his career, second all-time at UCSD behind only Matt Cantele (142) ... The Tritons have played 11 consecutive games against nationally-ranked opponents (9-2), including six in the top 10 (5-1), and are 11-4 against ranked foes in 2017 ... The Tritons reached double figures in runs for the 17th time in 2017, and in a third consecutive game for the second time ... UCSD is 6-1 in elimination games this postseason ... Tuesday's result marked career win No. 300 for head coach Eric Newman, who is now 302-196 for his nine years overall and 207-124 at UCSD ... This marks the third straight year in which the West Region representative is one of the final four squads left at the NCAA Championship, with Cal Poly Pomona advancing in 2015 and 2016 ... The game was the first known June contest in program history ... Opponents are batting just .185 against Goodbrand ... It was UCSD's sixth shutout of 2017 and first since another of the postseason variety at the NCAA West Regional, 4-0 over host Azusa Pacific on May 19 ... The result meant a first NCAA Championship loss this season for STAC, which had swept through the East Regional at 4-0 and was 6-0 in the NCAA postseason ... UCSD has three complete-game efforts from starting pitchers in the last eight contests after having not had that happen yet all year.
2017 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Results/Schedule
Saturday, May 27
Game 1 - West Chester 9, North Georgia 4
Game 2 - Lindenwood 4, Delta State 0
Sunday, May 28
Game 3 - St. Thomas Aquinas 6, UC San Diego 5 (12)
Game 4 - Colorado Mesa 10, Quincy 3
Monday, May 29
Game 5 - Delta State 4, North Georgia 0 (UNG eliminated)
Game 6 - West Chester 5, Lindenwood 2
Tuesday, May 30
Game 7 - UC San Diego 10, Quincy 8 (QU eliminated)
Game 8 - St. Thomas Aquinas 3, Colorado Mesa 2 (10)
Wednesday, May 31
Game 9 - UC San Diego 11, Lindenwood 6 (LU eliminated)
Game 10 - Colorado Mesa 6, Delta State 2 (DSU eliminated)
Thursday, June 1
Game 11 - UC San Diego 10, St. Thomas Aquinas 0
Game 12 - West Chester 1, Colorado Mesa 0 (CMU eliminated)
Friday, June 2
Game 13 - St. Thomas Aquinas vs. UC San Diego, 1 p.m. PT
Saturday, June 3
Game 14 - West Chester vs. Winner Game 13, 1 p.m. PT
Game 15 - West Chester vs. Winner Game 13, 5 p.m. PT (if necessary)
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