Cranberry and Black World Series - Cranberry Wins Series 3 Games to 2

October 22, 2007

College Baseball
Cranberry Wins Series 3 Games to 2

LAWRENCEVILLE—Yogi would have been proud Saturday afternoon, because it certainly wasn’t over until it was over. The Cranberry Team lost the first two games in the best of five game series before winning three straight, staging a major come-from-behind victory in the fourth annual Rider University Cranberry and Black World Series.

The fifth and deciding game was won 4-3 as all seven runs were scored in the ninth inning. Cranberry’s junior outfielder Mo Williams (Ocean, N.J./Monmouth Regional) hit an RBI single to right field with the bases loaded for the walk-off. Consecutive walks and consecutive singles allowed Cranberry to tie the score at 3-3, setting up the game-winner by Williams.

Williams bated .500 in the series.

Junior catcher Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) gave Black a 3-0 lead with a two-run single in the top of the ninth. 

In a real pitcher’s duel, Cranberry was able to even the series at 2-2 in Game Four, despite being no-hit. Black team sophomore Brian Herman (Levittown, Pa./Conwell-Egan) pitched a no-hitter, striking out three but Black’s two errors were costly in the 1-0 loss. Freshman A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) reached base on an error in the top of the tenth. When he stole third base the throw went into left field allowing Albee to score the only run of the game.

The favored Black team won the first game 6-1 with five runs in the top of the tenth inning. Sophomore catcher Eric Woodrow’s (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) RBI single broke the 1-1 tie, followed by sophomore outfielder Nick Wojnowski’s (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall) RBI triple.

Rookie pitcher Pat Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) allowed just one hit and struck out four in winning Game Two for the visiting Black team. Another rookie, freshman Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial), knocked in the winning run with a two-out single, scoring senior outfielder Jon Leise (Woodbury, N.J./West Deptford). Leise reached base on a double and was sacrificed to third by Woodrow.

Galella batted .375 for the series.

Black led Game Three 1-0 until the Cranberry offense finally came alive, scoring six runs in the top of the eighth inning. Freshman third baseman Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) hit a three-run double off the centerfield fence at Sonny Pittaro Park. Heyne batted .333 for the series.

Junior southpaw Derek Caldwell (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) earned the win for Cranberry with three innings of work.

The Black squad was led by the bat of sophomore Matt McCollum (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee), who batted .571 for the series with a pair of doubles.

The all-time series is now tied at 2-2. The Black team still holds the lead in overall wins at 11-8.  The Cranberry squad also won in 2006 three games to two.

The Cranberry and Black Series, a best three out of five series of three-inning games, brings an official end to the Rider fall baseball season.

-RU-