Courtesy of GoXavier.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Xavier baseball scored seven runs through the first three innings of play, holding on for a 7-5 victory over No. 3 Washington late on Sunday at Hawkins Field. The Musketeers advance to the NCAA Nashville Regional championship game for a rematch with No. 2 UC Santa Barbara at 3 p.m. ET.
Xavier (32-29) dropped a 5-4 game against UCSB (39-18-1) earlier on Sunday in the winner’s bracket. The Musketeers will need to win two games against UCSB on Monday to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for a matchup with Louisville.
The 32 wins for the Musketeers ranks tied for second in single-season school history. Xavier has won 32 or more games in a season five times.
Xavier is 2-1 on the weekend, moving to 4-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament action. Sunday’s regional championship game appearance will be the first in program history.
Xavier has also won 18 of its last 21 games and eight of its last nine outings.
XU AT THE PLATE
· Xavier had six more hits (11-5) than Washington and left three more runners on base (10-7). The Musketeers have now recorded 10 or more hits in seven of their last eight outings.
· Rylan Bannon was one of four Musketeers with two or more hits on the day. He finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
· Rylan Bannon hit his first career leadoff home run in the first inning. The sophomore has hit three home runs in his last four games, bringing his season total to eight.
· Rylan Bannon has five extra-base hits in three NCAA Tournament games (2 HR, 3 2B) and extended his hit streak to 13 games in the win. The third baseman is now 9-for-28 (.321) with three home runs, five doubles, 11 RBI and 23 total bases in his last five games.
· Andre Jernigan’s solo home run in the first inning was his 14th of the season, moving him into a tie for third in the XU single-season record books with Matt Watson (1999).
· Three Xavier players extended significant on-base streaks in the win. Andre Jernigan has reached base safely in 18 games, while Rylan Bannon and Joe Gellenbeck extended their streaks to 16 and 14, respectively.
XU ON THE MOUND
· Starter Matt Kent went 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and two runs while walking four batters. The freshman pitcher also recorded three strikeouts.
· Trey Schramm (4-0) entered the game in relief of Kent and inherited a bases loaded situation with a 2-0 count on Washington’s MJ Hubb. The freshman got the Musketeers out of the jam as Hubb flied out to deep center field. Schramm went 4.0 innings, surrendering four hits and three runs. He also walked two batters.
· Taylor Williams threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, tossing three strikeouts. The freshman RHP also walked one batter.
· Garrett Schilling set the school record in saves with his team-leading 14th save of the year. He surpassed Jordan Conley, who had 13 in 2009. He had two strikeouts in the win.
· XU’s bullpen posted 6.1 innings tonight, allowing three earned runs. In NCAA play, XU’s bullpen has now thrown 14 total innings and allowed just three runs (1.93 ERA, 7 H, 7 K).
· Prior to the fourth inning, the Musketeer relief corps had not allowed a run in eight innings to begin NCAA Tournament play.
· Over Xavier’s last 22 games, the relievers have been outstanding. XU’s ‘pen has logged 90.2 innings during that stretch, allowing just 23 earned runs (2.29 ERA).
HOW XU SCORED
FIRST INNING: Rylan Bannon hit a leadoff home run to give the Musketeers an early 1-0 advantage. Andre Jernigan made the score 2-0 later in the frame with a two-out homer to left center.
SECOND INNING: The Musketeers scored four runs with two outs in the frame. A Rylan Bannon two RBI double scored the first two runs before back-to-back RBI singles by Daniel Rizzie and Joe Gellenbeck plated the final two runs.
THIRD INNING: A David Morton RBI single to left center scored Will LaRue. LaRue reached base via a walk before stealing second base – his 31st stolen base of the year.
UP NEXT
· The Musketeers advance to the NCAA Nashville Regional championship game for a rematch with No. 2 UC Santa Barbara at 3 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to @XavierBase on Twitter for the latest updates regarding weather or any other schedule changes that may happen on Saturday. The game will be aired on ESPN3.
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