08-25-2019, 03:01 PM
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#297
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All Star Reserve
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Columbia, MO
Posts: 847
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1896 CBA Playoffs Final Four & Championship Series

#14 Brown Bears (41-24) vs. #9 Mississippi State Bulldogs (44-21)
Game 1 was close, tied up at 1-1 through six innings. But in the top of the 7th, with the bases loaded, Brown broke the deadlock on Brian Martin's bases-clearing triple. Martin would also score in the inning as the Bears took a 5-1 lead. Brown was able to fend off a late bottom of the 9th rally by Mississippi State, winning the game 5-3.
Brown led Game 2 by two runs after four innings before Mississippi State came back to tie. The Bears retook the lead in the bottom of the 5th by adding one run to give themselves a 3-2 advantage. But the Bulldogs wouldn't go down without a fight, scoring twice more in the 6th to take their first lead of the game, 4-3. In the 8th inning, Brian Martin came through once again for the Bears. The sophomore first baseman lined an RBI single into right-center to tie the game up at four apiece. The Bulldogs got nothing in the 9th and it looked to be the same for Brown in the bottom half of the inning, as they quickly recorded two outs with the first two batters. But three consecutive base hits pushed the winning run across the plate for the Bears, as they win the game in a walk-off by a score of 5-4, sweeping the series from the Bulldogs.
Brown advances to the CBA Championship Series for the 8th time in school history. It is their first return to the championship since the program won the national title in 1887.
#10 Pennsylvania Quakers (41-24) vs. #7 Illinois State Redbirds (46-18)
Junior Joe Robinson of Illinois State pitched a great Game 1, holding Penn to only four hits in a lop-sided 8-1 victory. Robinson continued his postseason dominance, pushing his playoff record to 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Sophomore catcher Jerry Rainey led the way for the Redbirds with a 3-for-4 performance before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury late in the contest.
Penn kept Game 2 tight for three innings before Illinois State broke the scoreless tie in the 4th, erupting for five runs and not looking back. The Redbirds cruised through the rest of the match, winning 9-0 and taking the series in a sweep.

#14 Brown Bears (43-24) vs. #7 Illinois State Redbirds (48-18)
Illinois State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking down the Brown Bears by a score of 8-1 in Game 1 of the CBA Championship Series. Redbird senior second baseman Darius Fondren went 3-for-5 in the game to lead all batters.
Game 2 didn't look good early on for Brown, as senior pitcher Victor Aquino left in the 3rd inning with forearm soreness and his team already trailing 1-0. Junior Kyle Raines was brought into the game to pitch after starting Game 1 just two days before and allowing six earned runs. But Raines pitched his heart out, throwing for 5 2/3 innings. The Bears finally got on the board in the 7th on senior catcher Ryan Cantwell's 2-RBI double to the center-field wall. Brown would add an insurance run in the 8th to put themselves up 3-1. The Bears held on for a 3-2 win, tying the series at a game apiece.
Illinois State cruised through most of Game 3 behind Joe Robinson's pitching, leading 7-2 after eight innings of play. But Brown had other ideas and rallied hard in the 9th inning. With three base hits, the Bears scored a run to make it 7-3. Then with two outs and the bases loaded, senior right fielder Jason Hammond delivered a bases-clearing triple to center to make it 7-6! Hammond, who represented the tying run, sat 90 feet away as the tide had turned against the Redbirds and their home crowd. Junior shortstop Blake Worley came up to the plate. Worley was 3-for-7 in the series coming into Game 3 and was 1-for-4 in the contest. Worley challenged Robinson, fouling off three straight pitches. Finally, on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Worley made good contact with the ball, but he grounded it right to Redbird second baseman Darius Fondren, who scooped the grounder up and tossed it to first base for the final out of the game. Illinois State holds on and wins Game 3 by a run, 7-6, and takes the series two games to one for their first national title!!
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