(box score)
The sleeping giant that is Widener staved off elimination for the sixth time this season and broke the school record for single-season victories in a 7-3 triumph over Keystone at the NCAA Tournament in Trenton, NJ.
Widener (27-13) has recorded two straight wins after a tournament-opening loss and advances in the elimination bracket to battle either Alvernia or Kean at approximately 8:00 pm. The victory breaks a tie with the 2007 and 2008 squads for wins in a campaign.
Keystone (30-9) worked Widener starter Kevin Culbert (Brookhaven, PA) through a long top of the first inning and managed one run. Eric Groff stepped in with two outs and hit an opposite field homer that just cleared the right-field fence.
Widener bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the second, all with two out, for a 3-1 lead. Junior Tom Mahoney (Norristown, PA) and senior Mike Villari (Holland, PA) had back-to-back RBI singles and junior Tom DeAngelis (Pottstown, PA) crossed home on a wild pitch.
The Pride tacked on one more in the fourth for a 4-1 cushion. Freshman Dennis Hocker (Coral Springs, FL) lined a lead-off double and senior Colin Keelan (Ellicott City, MD) followed with an RBI double down the right-field line.
Keystone got one back in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Ray Jackson, but Widener plated two in the bottom half for a 6-2 lead. Hocker bounced a two-out RBI single over first baseman Yazy Arbello and Keelan followed with a run-scoring single in front of the center fielder.
The Giants got one back in the eighth without the benefit of a hit on a bases-loaded walk to Angel Fargas. But Culbert settled down with the sacks full and the go-ahead run at the plate, getting Andy Vega on a called third strike to end the threat.
Culbert (5-1) notched his fourth straight victory, yielding three runs – two earned – and four hits over eight innings with five strikeouts in his longest outing of the season. Hocker finished with his second three-hit game of the season.
Mike Hanley (7-1) saw his unbeaten season end by allowing six runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. Groff closed with two hits for the Giants, champions of the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
