United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Baseball - Bears Continue Amazing Run; Advance to NEWMAC Championship Game

NORTON, MASS.--(4/24/10)--Fifth-seeded Coast Guard, which had to sweep a doubleheader and did so on a walkoff home run by freshman Tyler Babkiewich, just to qualify for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament last weekend, upset second-seeded Babson and then eliminated third-seeded WPI, erasing a 6-1 deficit, to win 8-6 and advance to the championship game vs. top-seed and host Wheaton.

The Bears (12-17) will play Wheaton at 11 a.m. tomorrow. This is Coast Guard's fourth trip to the NEWMAC tournament championship game and first since 2003 when the Bears beat Wheaton 11-7 to force a second championship game which they lost 7-0.

Wheaton has beaten the Bears all three times in the NEWMAC championship game. Coast Guard is making its first appearance in the NEWMAC tournament since 2007.

The Bears, who are 3-1 in the league tournament after going 4-8 during regular season NEWMAC play, won for the second time on Saturday in improving to 12-17.

WPI, which was receiving votes in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) regional poll, slipped to 21-10 after suffering its second loss of the day.

Freshman Tyler Vieira earned the win in relief for the Bears, tossing 3.2 shutout innings of one-hit ball. Classmate Nolan Gallagher went 3-for-4, freshman Mike Massaro posted two hits, two runs and three RBI, and classmate Eric Gerken had two hits and a pair of RBI. Freshman Riley Beecher doubled twice, and senior John Jeffares added a pair of knocks.

Sophomore Mitch McClune went 3-for-4 for the Engineers, who stranded 13 runners. Senior Mike Swanton added two hits, while freshman Shane Sampson took the loss in relief, allowing four runs on eight hits in 3.2 frames.

WPI broke out of a 1-1 tie the home half of the third inning, plating five runs on three hits and two errors after the first two batters had been retired, but Coast Guard chipped away with two runs the next inning. Milligan's solo home run highlighted the fourth, and Massaro and Gerken roped back-to-back RBI doubles in the sixth to make it 6-5.

With WPI threatening to widen its lead in the home half, Vieira entered the game with a two-on, one-out situation and promptly struck out the first two batters he faced.

The Bears completed their comeback in the eighth, as Gerken's triple to the right field gap plated Massaro, and Milligan lofted a tie-breaking sac fly to make it 7-6. The Engineers again looked to score in the bottom half, placing runners at the corners with no one out, but Jeffares fielded a grounder at first base to start an unconventional 3-2 double play before Vieira induced an inning-ending grounder.

Massaro added a sac fly in the ninth to give Coast Guard breathing room before WPI's leadoff batter in the ninth inning walked. However, the runner never made it as far as second base, as Vieira set down the final three Engineers, each of whom represented the tying run.