Senior Dan Leslie's one-out walk-off single in the 12th inning gave St. Thomas a 3-2 victory over Wooster (Ohio) to cap a Tuesday sweep that let the Tommies take the 2009 Division III College World Series baseball championship.
Coach Dennis Denning's Tommies (41-13) won six NCAA playoff elimination games at regionals and nationals to win the program's second national championship. They beat two different All-American pitchers from Wooster on Tuesday to close out a remarkable season of twists and turns and claim supremecy over 381 Division III programs.
Tommie junior Matt Olson -- who was named the CWS's Most Outstanding Player -- worked a 3-2 count then singled to lead off the 12th inning, his third hit of the game and 11th hit in six Appleton games. It was the eighth time on the game the Toms had the leadoff batter on base.
Olson was bunted to second by Brian Schmitz. Leslie worked a 3-2 count before he stroked a game-winning single through the hole into left field.
Junior Brandon Stone, in his first pitching appearance in 16 days and first in 12 NCAA playoff games, retired 20 of the 23 batters he faced in seven shutout innings in relief to get the win for St. Thomas. Stone struck out four and had no walks.
Louie Salmen, Ben Wartman and Tim Kahle each had two hits for the Tommies, who outhit Wooster 12-8 and capped a 10-2 NCAA playoff run that included a 17-inning win and a 12-inning championship win. The Toms hit into five double plays and left 12 on base but still outlasted the hard-luck Scots (43-11).
UST, which finished 16-4 in May, is now 16-6 in four College World Series appearances. The baseball title is the institution's 13th national team championship and first since the 2005 Tommie softball crown.
All-American Mark Miller pitched all 11 1-3 innings for the Scots in a gutsy performance. Freshman Bryce Gapinski (3-0 in postseason, 4-0 in May) started for UST and worked five innings. Stone relieved to start the sixth.
St. Thomas pitchers finished with a 2.12 ERA over 12 NCAA playoff games covering 119 innings. That included a 3-0 run in four strong games by All-American Matt Schuld and a 3-0 run in four strong games by freshmen Gapinski and John Licht.
The Tommies committed just three errors in their last nine NCAA playoff games. They won three elimination games Monday and Tuesday with 12 runs over 30 innings with no home runs, one triple, two doubles and 27 singles. Two of the nine runs scored today came via squeeze bunts.
Good Start
The Toms scored one in the third inning for a 1-0 lead on a walk, a Wartman single, a bunt and Kahle's infield single.
Wooster countered with Stu Beath's leadoff single and Matt Groezinger's two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning for a 2-1 lead. It was the first time UST trailed in six NCAA playoff elimination games.
In the Tommie sixth, Olson singled, Schmitz walked, a bunt moved the runners up, and Larson hit a sac fly to tie the game.
The Toms loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs but a diving stop and slick play by Wooster at first base got the third out. UST also had runners at first and second with none out in the 11th and didn't score. But Stone kept Wooster in check to keep the chances coming.
Leslie, Stone, Matt McQuillan and Matt Schuld joined Olson on the CWS All-Tournament team.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
St. Thomas Release