Locals help Madison College shine at World Series
By Troy A. Bruzewski
Sports Correspondent
The Madison College baseball team advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series and claimed a third-place finish with help from players from Burlington and Wilmot.
The Wolf Pack went 3-2 in the World Series, after winning the Region IV Tournament, held May 16-18.
Luke Syens, a Burlington High School graduate, helped Madison to a win in its World Series opener, May 24, against Westchester. He had three hits and a scored a run in an 11-3 victory.
Madison finished with 15 hits and started scoring in the first inning, taking a 2-0 lead it extended in the third inning. Madison held a 5-0 lead before Westchester scored its first run, in the fifth inning.
The Wolf Pack responded with a five-run sixth inning, which included a Syens hit and his scored run. They led 10-2 heading into the final inning and ended the game early on the run rule after Madison added another run.
Syens had a hit and another RBI in the following game, against Southeastern College. Madison got help from Catholic Central graduate Rex Morrow, who pitched five innings and allowed five hits to earn the win.
Madison suffered its first loss of the tournament – both coming against the same team – in their next game. Hinds College defeated Madison 8-7 in 13 innings, giving the Wolf Pack their first loss in six games.
Hinds started with a six-run first inning, and Madison had a long comeback ahead of it. The Wolf Pack eventually caught Hinds, scoring two runs in both the third and fourth innings. After a run in the sixth, Madison took its first lead in the seventh, scoring two runs.
The Wolfpack were on the verge of victory in the ninth inning, but allowed Hinds to score the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth, forcing the game into extra innings. Hinds eventually scored in the bottom of the 13th for the win.
Calen Rohrman, a Wilmot native, pitched just over two innings in Madison’s following game, against Pasco-Hernando College, which ended as its last victory of the season.
After trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning, Madison tied the game, then took its first lead with a three-run seventh and finished with an 8-3 win.
But the Wolf Pack ended its season, Friday, with its second loss of the World Series to Hinds. Madison held an early 3-0 lead in the third inning, but Hinds scored four runs in the third and eight more in the fifth to take a 12-6 win.
It was the third time in the past four seasons that Madison has finished third in the Division II World Series. The Wolf Pack finished with a 45-17 record on the season.
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