Rose-Hulman Claims Second Straight HCAC Baseball Tournament Title

ANDERSON, IN – The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology upended third-seeded Manchester College for the second time in two days and captured the 2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championship. The Engineers capped a four-game run through the tournament by defeating Manchester, 20-8, on May 15 at Don Brandon Field.

With the victory, Rose-Hulman earned the HCAC automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Engineers improved to 29-12 overall this season.

In Saturday’s winner take all victory over the Spartans, the Engineers offense exploded for 20 runs against the Manchester pitching staff.  Three different Rose players added four or more RBI in the win. 

Junior Chris Stemple (Mt. Vernon, Ind./H.S.) finished the game 3-for-6 with a double, three runs scored, and four RBI.  Catcher Keenan Long (Park Ridge, Ill.) fell a home run shy of the cycle, adding a double, triple, single, and four RBI, while Kirk Thompson (Harrisburg, Ill./H.S.) added a team-high five RBI and a home run.

Andrew Oakley (Clinton Township, Mich./Chippewa Valley) started the game on the mound for the Engineers and provided 6.2 solid innings against the Manchester offense.  The junior allowed only one run on four hits, earning his sixth win of the season.

Rose got off to a quick start, scoring five runs in both the third and fourth innings.  The Engineers put the game out of reach with 10 runs in the top of the eighth inning to stretch the lead to 20-1 heading into the last two Spartan at bats.

Rose-Hulman advanced to Saturday’s championship round by virtue of the winner’s bracket.  The Engineers, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, topped Anderson 15-13 on Thursday and secured their spot in the championship game by defeating Manchester, 10-9 in 11 innings on Friday.  Manchester earned a 13-9 win over Rose in the first contest Saturday to force the second championship game.

The top-seeded Anderson Ravens lost both games in the tournament, finishing 26-16 on the season as coach Don Brandon retires with 1,100 wins. 

The NCAA tournament draw will be released on May 17.