D3 Recap: One Wild Ride Ends and Top Seed Goes Home!

Wow. The ride is over. Birmingham-Southern took the nation on a thrill ride and now the rollercoaster season ends for the Panthers. The team playing for a school that technically doesn’t exist anymore is out of the Division III Men’s Baseball World Series.

 

Last night, in dramatic fashion, the Cougars couldn’t hold on to their 10-5 lead at the start of the bottom of the 7th inning. Wisconsin-Whitewater tallied six runs in the final three frames to win, 11-10, thus ending one of sports best 2024 stories.

 

Paden’s Walk Off HR – Wild Ride Ender!

 

ONE PITCH TO WALK IT OFF 🤯💣🔥@UWWAthletics ARE MOVING ON!!!#D3baseball | #WhyD3 pic.twitter.com/GFGde6M4V7

— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) June 3, 2024

UWW’s Sam Paden stroked a walkoff homerun on the very first pitch he saw to send his team to Monday’s game, while B-S left to get back to their school that is no longer. Logan Eisenbarth pitched one and a third innings of no-hit, no-run ball to nab the win for the Warhawks.

It was Paden’s second homer of the game. But his theatrics would not have been possible if it weren’t for the bullpen’s job or Paden’s Warhawk teammate, Eli Frank, who’s only hit was the game tying two-run dinger in the 8th.

 

UWW now must battle Salve Regina at 1:15 PM today in another elimination game for the Warhawks. If Salve win, they make it to the final pairing.

 

The 10:00 AM game pits Misericordia against Lynchburg again! Lynchburg and S-R are the only teams to go 2-0 this weekend. So a Misericordia loss will put Lynchburg into their second final in two years!

 

Miser(icordia) again for Endicott – Top Seed’s Ride Ends

Misericordia topples No. 1 seed Endicott to advance to the semi-finals of the DIII Baseball World Series and take on the defending champs, Lynchburg. #d3data #d3 #d3sports #d3baseball pic.twitter.com/cy1f0206nG

— D3 Data (@D3SportsData) June 2, 2024

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Misericordia showed no mercy to top-seeded Endicott by crushing the #1 team in the country, 12-4. This marks the second year in a row Misericordia ended Endicott’s season. The Panthers rapped out 13 hits with only one homerun to cruise to the semifinal. Steve Rinda (8-1) went 6 innings of five-hit four run ball with seven KO’s. His bullpen of Tyler Leonard and Justin Calvarese slammed the door allowing only one hit and a walk in three relief innings.

Every pitcher for Endicott surrendered at least one run, causing the #1 team ERA in D3 to head home. 

 

The two games are slated for today with the potential for a second if Salve or Lynchburg lose. There will be an off day before the final three game championship final.

Full Replays

Here is the link from NCAA D3 to watch the entire game for UWW and B-S.

Here is the link from NCAA D3 to watch the entire game for Misericordia and Endicott.

 

Featured image courtesy of NCAA.