Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505310080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Arm hurt?
Forget it, pitcher.
Motel room bed a little lumpy, there, slugger?
At least you got some sleep
Get it up for a noon-3 pm. double-header?
Hey, it gets hot in North Carolina too, honey.
The ballclub from Fayetteville, N.C. had to qualify as the team with the most sizzle after defying baseball death while playing 18 innings to make it to today's finale.Methodist will have to play another doubleheader today as it did Tuesday, and win both games, to claim its first Division III College World Series title.
The Monarchs will attempt to get past defending Series champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh in today's 3:30 p.m. elimination game. The championship game is at 7 p.m.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh beat previously undefeated University of La Verne (Cal.) 10-5 Tuesday night as Craig Lieder and Tim Jorgensen each launched home runs.
``These games should bring out the best in players,'' said Lieder, whose 14 RBI is a new Series record.
La Verne, the tournament's biggest underdog, will be one of the final two teams.
``We wanted to win the game and send Oshkosh home, but we didn't want to throw [Jeff] Doen until today in the final,'' La Verne coach Owen Wright said.
Doen was the complete-game victor in the Leopards' opening-round 8-3 victory over William Paterson.
Methodist dispatched Carthage 12-2, dissmissing the Redmen from the tournament.
``We're going to be real confident going into today,'' said Methodist first baseman Chuck Dethloff.
Dethloff ought to be after he homered among four hits that drove in four runs. Tony Palombizio swatted a pair of homers for the Monarchs, but the guy who really stung Carthage was Chris Culbreth, who stole home.
``The pitcher was in his windup, and he never looked over,'' Culbreth said. ``If you get a big enough lead, Coach always says `go for it.'''
That did it for Carthage (39-8-1), which had made it this far after holding off Marietta (Ohio) 11-7 in a 3-hour, 14-minute game that ended after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
``I'm going to miss you guys,'' said swashbuckling Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. ``I think I'll go find a bar now. They were all closed when we walked out of here last night.''
La Verne had dumped Methodist 8-7 in a sunwashed affair at high noon. Although skies were bluer and temperatures were cooler than they had been the entire tournament, the Methodist dugout was steaming in annoyance with four errors and two runners picked off of second base, among other misadventures.
``We didn't run the bases well; we didn't play good defense,'' Austin said.
La Verne didn't give the Municipal Field gallery a lesson in textbook baserunning in the 10th. Ryan Jourdain, a freshman in the game for the first time as a pinch runner in the 10th, lost track of a ball off the bat of Mike Smith that had gone over the head of center fielder Culbreth.
``I was so confused that the first time I saw the ball was after it had been dropped,'' Jourdain said.
Jourdain scooted into third as the throw from the cutoff man sailed wildly toward the Methodist dugout. Jourdain scored to put the Monarchs into brief misery alleviated only by the start of their next game shortly thereafter.
La Verne first baseman Jeff Polinsky could have spoken for representatives of three teams when he said, ``We'll get some good sleep tonight.''
Maybe.
Monday's game
Carthage 11, Marietta 7: The Redmen required 3 hours ,14 minutes and 10 innings to eliminate the Ohio team in a game that lasted past 1 a.m. Tuesday. Carthage led 11-4 going into the bottom of the ninth, but Marietta's rally stalled after three runs. Marietta finished 46-9.
by CNB