WINCHESTER \u2014 Sunday afternoon didn\u2019t go according to plan for No. 7 Shenandoah baseball.<\/p>\n
The Hornets entered the NCAA Division III Tournament Winchester Regional against Messiah needing one win to advance to the Super Regionals. Instead, they saw their season conclude after losing the weekend\u2019s final two contests.<\/p>\n
The regional hosts followed a 4-3 loss with a 13-0 defeat, finishing 2026 at 37-12. The second game marked SU’s most lopsided defeat of the season and its first time being shut out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Messiah improved to 36-13, surviving the double-elimination bracket by winning four straight games after losing to Transylvania 8-6 on Friday. Shenandoah defeated Farmingdale State 21-1 on Friday and Transylvania 15-4 on Saturday to advance to the weekend\u2019s sixth and seventh championship games. The Falcons advance to the NCAA Super Regionals against Baldwin Wallace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We went into the day feeling really good about our chances,” Shenandoah head coach Kevin Anderson said. “It was a very similar situation to last weekend [when Shenandoah won the ODAC Tournament]. We knew that they were an outstanding hitting ball club, very fundamentally sound, they score runs in a lot of ways … I thought we had some opportunities.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
With one out in the bottom of the seventh in Game 6, Kyle Garrett hit a full-count base hit to left field. Carl Keenan, who finished that game 3 for 5 with an RBI, then pulled the ball down the right-field line, driving Garrett in to cut the deficit to 4-3. Keenan tried to reach third base on the hit but was tagged out, leading to Jaime Padilla grounding out to end the inning.<\/p>\n
In the bottom of the ninth, Shenandoah had the tying run aboard at third and the go-ahead run at first. However, the Hornets grounded out to bring about one last matchup.<\/p>\n
Messiah, last season\u2019s national runner-up, wasted no time in Game 7, going ahead 4-0 in the first inning. The Falcons functioned as the home team in the final outing and scored in seven of eight innings. They finished the two games with 31 combined hits, while the Hornets tallied 18.<\/p>\n
Shenandoah recorded 11 hits in the Game 7 loss. The team previously defeated Messiah 14-3 at home on March 5.<\/p>\n
Falcons’ head coach Phill Shallenberger said he was proud of the unity his players displayed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We’ve just been fighting for one more day. I just wasn’t ready to be done with these guys yet,” Shallenberger said. “I think that’s one of the beauties of this team, this culture, is that there’s just nobody who wants to be done.”<\/p>\n
In Game 6, Messiah put Shenandoah on its heels by loading the bases with one out in the first. Hornets’ starter Mike Meyers responded with two strikeouts to escape the inning, but couldn\u2019t replicate that success in the second.<\/p>\n
There, the Falcons loaded the bases with no outs to set up a two-RBI single by Isaiah Parido. The Falcons added another run when Landon Mark grounded into a double play with no outs that scored David Martinez, making it 3-0.<\/p>\n
In the bottom of the second, Dillon Mauzy (1 for 3, walk), hit a two-out solo shot to put Shenandoah on the board. The Hornets turned a 6-4-3 double play to escape the top of the third before loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning.<\/p>\n
With one out, Adham Sahebzadah hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, driving in Chip Carver to make it 3-2. Yet, Shenandoah couldn’t do further damage against Messiah starter Zach Harris, who finished with five strikeouts, four hits, three walks and an earned run in 5.2 innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harris picked up steam in the bottom of the fourth, retiring the Hornets in order by striking out two batters and fielding James Wood graduate Kemper Omps\u2019 ground ball and throwing him out at first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With two outs in the fifth, Meyers walked Cristian Reyna and gave up a grounder. This set up an RBI single by Nick Moyer, who hit the ball past Carver at short to drive in Reyna, extending Messiah\u2019s lead to 4-2.<\/p>\n
In the bottom of the fifth, Keenan hit a single with two outs, but the inning ended when Padilla was called out for batter\u2019s interference during Keenan\u2019s attempt to steal second.<\/p>\n
Anthony Arrichiello replaced Meyers in the sixth. With two runners on and no outs, Parido reached first on a fielder\u2019s choice after Martinez was thrown out at second. Luke Ott advanced to third and tried to steal home, but catcher JP Williams tagged him out at the plate. Hurst was thrown out at first moments later to end the frame.<\/p>\n
Arrichiello sent Messiah down in order in the eighth before Devin Aponte entered at pitcher for the Falcons. Aponte recorded a save in Game 6, finishing with a strikeout, a walk and a hit in two innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shenandoah’s Jacob Gilbert took the mound in the top of the ninth, retiring the Falcons in order to give Shenandoah a fighting chance. Tyler Smith singled and Samuel Barber pinch-ran for Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Omps advanced Barber with a sacrifice bunt and Barber moved to third on a groundout. Garrett (1 for 3) walked with two outs, but a fielder’s choice groundout to shortstop concluded the afternoon’s first contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We just couldn’t get that big hit to get us over the hump,” Anderson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Devin Aponte entered at pitcher in the eighth inning for the Falcons. Aponte recorded a save finishing with a strikeout, a walk and a hit in two innings. He would\u00a0return in Game 7 to log a win, recording a strikeout, a walk and two hits in 3.1 relief innings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meyers pitched five innings and allowed four runs (all earned), seven hits and three walks, hit two batters, and struck out two. Arrichiello pitched three shutout innings and allowed four hits and one walk.<\/p>\n
The decisive seventh game wasn’t as dramatic, but Shenandoah briefly positioned itself well before the action got out of hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anderson changed up the batting order, moving Padilla from third to leadoff, Garrett from first to second, Williams from fifth to third and Smith from seventh to fourth. This group produced three hits in the first inning, but Padilla was called out at home and Williams was caught stealing to hold the Hornets scoreless.<\/p>\n
“We were actually ready to play in the second game,” Anderson said. “Jaime hits a double right off the bat, Kyle Garrett puts pressure on with a drag-bunt base hit, and then we ground to third base … they got the runner at the plate.<\/p>\n
“We immediately double-steal, and Kyle got a great jump at second and had third base stolen. But you’ve got to tip your hat to Messiah. They were going back runner and they got JP [out], so the tide changed so quick.”<\/p>\n
In the bottom of the inning, Parido drew a leadoff walk that allowed Drew Hurst to drive him in with an RBI double with no outs. Reyna then hit a ground-rule double with one out to send Hurst home, making it 2-0. Chris Reid added an RBI single and Ott tallied an RBI ground-rule double to extend the lead to 4-0 through the first.<\/p>\n
“I think [our performance] just speaks to the gutsiness of this lineup,” Reid said. “Being able to put each other before ourselves. Guys were going up there and competing with two strikes and really challenging, really working guys.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The regional host\u2019s tough luck continued in the top of the second. Keenan looked like he would be credited with a sacrifice fly, but Mauzy was tagged out at home. The Hornets responded by loading the bases with two outs, causing Messiah to replace starter Christian Foltz with Aponte. Aponte faced Padilla, and the center fielder grounded into a fielder\u2019s choice to end the top of the inning.<\/p>\n
Shenandoah tried utilizing its top arms, starting team captain Gilbert, who was replaced by Nick Bell following Reid\u2019s first-inning hit. Griffin was charged with three runs (all earned) on three hits and walked one batter. Bell allowed Ott’s RBI and was replaced in the second by the Hornets’ top starter, Blaine Griffin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Griffin gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Reyna, making it 6-0. Padilla tried to rob the home run, but the ball was too high over his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Aponte sent Shenandoah down in order to open the third, All-ODAC closer Liam Stewart replaced Griffin for the bottom of the inning. Stewart couldn\u2019t stop the bleeding, giving up RBI singles to Parido and Hurst that made it 8-0.<\/p>\n
Stewart remained in the game for the fourth and gave up another run with two outs when Ott drove in Reid.<\/p>\n
Anderson said the Hornets left too many breaking balls over the plate and added that nothing they tried on the mound worked.<\/p>\n
“We couldn’t get the lead to go to Stewart. That was our whole plan,” Anderson said. “Everybody that we threw out there [at pitcher], no matter what the style was, got shellacked.<\/p>\n
“I want to congratulate Messiah. They’re very well-coached, very well-disciplined and consistent throughout the order.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stewart tossed three innings. He allowed four runs (three earned), nine hits and no walks and struck out two batters.<\/p>\n
Aponte struck out Smith in the top of the fifth, leaving two Hornets stranded, before Mark hit a single to drive in Parido for another run in the bottom of the inning.<\/p>\n
Shenandoah\u2019s bats went down in order in the sixth and Jackson Sherman replaced Stewart in the bottom of the frame. Matt Luchovick promptly hit a leadoff home run to make it 11-0, becoming the final Falcon starter to record at least a base hit. Martinez hit a solo shot later in the inning to make it 12-0.<\/p>\n
Shenandoah got two runners on in the seventh, but couldn\u2019t get a run across the plate. Andrew Gload took the mound in the bottom of the inning and handed Messiah its first scoreless inning of the game.<\/p>\n
The Hornets got one runner on in a scoreless top of the eighth, before Messiah loaded the bases with one out against new pitcher Dom D\u2019Ottavio. D\u2019Ottavio gave up an RBI single to Hurst that made it 13-0, prompting Anderson to replace him with Jake Holbert, who secured the inning\u2019s last two outs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arrichiello and Padilla got on base in the ninth, but the Hornets couldn’t drive them in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SU was led at the plate by Padilla (3 for 5 with a double), Omps (2 for 3), Garrett (2 for 4) and Mauzy (1 for 3, double, walk).<\/p>\n
“[Padilla and Garrett] were our leaders and our catalysts, and I could not ask more from any two young men as people nor players,” Anderson said. They’re tremendous leaders. They’re two fantastic young men that we’ll sorely miss. They’ve left their mark on this program, they’re great people, super students, and great players.”<\/p>\n
SU won its first ODAC Tournament title since 2022 this year and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023 after missing it with 28-17 records the last two years. The Hornets won their most games since capturing 42 in 2023.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We’re all quite frankly devastated when you put your heart and soul into something, and these guys do, and so does the staff, and in 24 hours, we go from a major high to planning to go to super regionals to [being eliminated],” Anderson said. “That’s a big hit to your psyche.”<\/p>\n
Anderson hopes the returning players will use what happens this season as motivation to be even better next year.<\/p>\n
“We’re very unique, in that most places, freshmen just sit there and watch upperclassmen play,” Anderson said. “We try to play 24 developmental games against big-time JUCOs. I think that experience parlays into the next season … I hope the ODAC Championship gives us some fuel. I also hope losing in a regional championship gives us some fuel.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WINCHESTER \u2014 Sunday afternoon didn\u2019t go according to plan for No. 7 Shenandoah baseball. The Hornets entered the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":702031,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2289],"tags":[5,1693,648,18772,1694,2341,35321,185,26103],"class_list":{"0":"post-702030","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-college-baseball","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-college","10":"tag-college-baseball","11":"tag-eedition","12":"tag-ncaa","13":"tag-ncaa-baseball","14":"tag-shenandoah_university","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-winchester_star"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116594399236848695","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702030\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}