May 31, 2002

Box Score

Lincoln, NE - Tim Allen hit the first pitch of the 11th inning well over the left field wall at Hawks Field on the Campus of the University of Nebraska to power the Marist College baseball team to a 5-4 win over Southwest Missouri State(SMS) in the first day of competition at the Lincoln Regional. The Red Foxes, 41-12, advance to face the top-seeded Huskers of Nebraska in a winners bracket game at 3:35 CST on Saturday, a game which will be broadcast live on the internet at www.GoRedFoxes.com.

Allen, who finished the day 2-4, hit a first pitch fastball from reliever Shaun Marcum, breaking a 4-4 tie. The homer is Allen's second extra-inning game winning homer in a week, after hitting one in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat LeMoyne 6-5 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.

Marist scored first as Steve O'Sullivan led off the game, hitting the first pitch to the left field corner for a double. After advancing to third on a groundout by Joey Salazar, O'Sullivan scored on an RBI sacrifice flt from Anthony Bocchino. SMS tied the game in the fourth inning, but Marist would capitilize in the seventh and eighth frames of the game.

Keith Brachold led off the seventh with a single, his first NCAA base hit. He would come around to score when a Jimmy Willis pop up fell into short center field. The Red Foxes added two more runs in the eighth inning, taking a 4-1 lead.

SMS answered in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs to tie the game. Chris Homer pitched two-inning in reliefe of BRad Cook withouth allowing a run, and just two hits, while striking out two. He stranded runners at second and third base in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings.

Ryan Kondratowicz improved to 6-0, as he tossed two scoreless innings in relief. he allowd only one hit and struck out one, and pitched out of a first and second one-out jam in the 11th, protecting the lead. Sophomore Chris Tracz started the game for the Red Foxes and pitched well, but came away with a no decision. He left the game after 7.0 innings of work, leading 2-1. In the effort he struck out six batters, while allowing just one run and only seven hits.

Marist will face Nebraska in the winner's bracket at 3:35 CST on Saturday. The Cornhuskers knocked off UW-Milwaukee 7-2 in the first game of regional play on Friday. UWM and SMS will play at 11:05 CST in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the Marist-Nebraska game, in a second elimination game at 8:05 pm CST.

The Red Foxes win in a first game of an NCAA Regional in the first time in any of its four appearances since 1997. Marist is now 3-6 in tournament play.