The LaGrange College baseball team punched its ticket to the Division III World Series for the first time with a pulsating 4-2 win over Chapman in the deciding Game 3 of its Super Regional on May 28 at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium.
Chapman forced the deciding game with a walk-off 9-8 win in Game 2 to start the day. The Panthers turned to sophomore Ethan Fry on the mound for Game 3.
Fry (2-1) responded with his longest outing of the season. He went 7-1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out six.
Fry and Chapman freshman Max Banks were hooked up in a pitcher's duel through four scoreless innings. Banks did not allow the Panthers a hit in the first four innings.
With one out in the fifth, Rhett Hebert doubled to right center for LC's first hit of the night. Gabriel Pallo laid down a perfect bunt to put runners at the corners. Pallo stole second and when the throw went into center field, took third as Hebert scored the game's first run. Pallo came home on Rhett Mixon's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
The Panthers came back with two more runs in the sixth. Joe Ruth walked to start the inning and took second on a wild pitch. Jack Layrisson tripled to left center to easily score Ruth with the first run of the inning. Layrisson trotted home when Cael Chatham flied out to deep center to up LC's lead to 4-0.
Fry cruised into the eighth before running into trouble. He got the first out of the inning, but a hit batter and a walk ended his night as Tanner Chaffin came on in relief. Chafin got the second out of the inning on a strike out, but Davis Mieliwock's two-run double cut the Panthers' lead in half, 4-2.
In the ninth, Ki Osaka led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Chaffin got the first out of the inning, but Drake Mueller reached first after striking out on a pitch in the dirt putting runners on the corners. Chaffin struck out Cole Minato for the second out and ended the game by getting Nick Kondo to line out to Pallo in right field. He picked up his first save of the season.
