Game 1
The first game of the newly formed Collegiate Semi-Final Series features the Columbia Lions at the Syracuse Orange. It's 64 degrees at Orange Ballpark with clear skies, but the wind is blowing out to right at 16 mph. There are 1788 fans on hand for this game. Senior Matt Kilroy (1-0, 1.00 ERA) gets the start for the Lions, while sophomore Brad Perry (1-0, 5.00 ERA) is on the mound for Syracuse.
Columbia goes down in order to start things off. Kilroy and the Lions continue their shaky start, as Kilroy issues two walks and his defense commits two errors. Syracuse manages a run out of the deal and take an early 1-0 lead. After another three up, three down inning, Kilroy and Columbia come back out in the 2nd. After recording two quick outs, Kilroy gives up a single and a double, but Syracuse senior Bob Samuel is cut down at the plate by a great throw by left fielder Jeff Gogins for the final out!! Columbia has yet to record a hit by the 4th inning, but Gogins reaches base on an error. After stealing second, Gogins is sacrificed to third. Then he scores on a passed ball to tie the game, 1-1!!
After managing a base hit, an infield single, in the 5th inning, the Lions' bats warm up in the 6th, as junior third baseman Roman Bush leads off the inning with a triple! Junior Dan Palmer then delivers a two out, RBI single to right to bring Bush home and give the Lions a 2-1 lead! The score remains as we head to the bottom of the 9th. Kilroy issues a lead off walk, then throws wild to give the Syracuse runner second base. But Samuel, the Orange left fielder, is having no luck today, as he lines the ball to left for the out. The runner at second thought for sure it was going to fall in for a hit, but it's too late for him and he gets doubled up at second!! Columbia and Kilroy get the final out two batters later and hold on to win this one, 2-1.
The second game of the day is between the Harvard Crimson and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. There are 1699 people here at the Ballpark of Rutgers, and they're enjoying some beautiful weather for today's game. It's 75 degrees and clear skies, with the wind blowing in from center at 10 mph. Sophomore Ad Gumbert is on the hill for Harvard. Gumbert is 1-0, with a 1.00 ERA, in the playoffs. On the mound for the home team is junior Mike Smith, who is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in the postseason.
The first three innings belong to the pitchers, as Gumbert gives up a single run in the 2nd and Smith has yet to allow a base hit. That changes, however, in the top of 4th, when Crimson senior Herman Long leads the inning off with a single to right center. He advances to third on a steal attempt where the catcher threw wild. Long would score on a fielder's choice and give Harvard a 1-0 lead. The pitcher's duel continues inning after inning. Harvard misses a chance to put runs on the board in the top of the 6th, as Smith issues three free passes. But the runners are all stranded. Likewise, Rutgers can't capitalize on a single and double in the bottom half of the 6th. Things change in the 7th, however. Harvard sophomore first baseman Tom West leads off the inning by hitting an inside the park home run on a deep fly to left. Two more hits in the inning, plus a Scarlet Knight error, leads to three more Crimson runs, as Harvard pushes their lead to 4-0.
Rutgers has no answer for Gumbert. They manage to push a run across in the bottom of the 9th, but Harvard ends up winning this one by the score of 4-1. It could have been worse, as Smith ends up setting a playoff record with eight walks.
Game 2
Syracuse travels to New York City to face Columbia at Lions Ballpark for this important Game 2 match up. Junior Kid Gleason (1-1, 2.50) gets the nod for the Orange. The Lions send junior Cinders O'Brien (1-1, 2.50) to the mound. There are 1766 people in attendance, with the temperature at 78 degrees. The skies are clear, but that wind is pushing out to left at a brisk 19 mph.
The game starts off with Syracuse left fielder Bob Samuel changing his luck, as he leads off by reaching base on a Columbia fielding error. Samuel steals second, then advances to third on a ground out. Sophomore first baseman Jake "Eagle Eye" Beckley then connects and delivers an RBI single to left field. Beckley hit .341 this season for Syracuse. The Orange hold onto their 1-0 lead as we enter the 3rd inning. Syracuse junior third baseman Mike Bromberek doubles down the right field line to start things off. Samuel then reaches on yet another error. With two men on and one out, Beckley comes through again, sending a double down the left field line to score both runners and give the Orange a 3-0 lead!!
After a couple of scoreless innings, Syracuse added to their lead in the 6th inning. The Orange get three base hits, and coupled with a Columbia error, they score twice to push the lead to 5-0. Gleason cruises through the rest of the game, keeping the Columbia bats silent, as the Orange go on to win with a 5-0 shutout, tying the series and sending it back to Syracuse.
Rutgers is on the road against Harvard in an attempt to extend their season. It's 72 degrees with clear skies at Crimson Ballpark, where 1999 fans have come out to see this game. The wind is blowing in from center at 13 mph. The Scarlet Knights send senior Jim Handiboe (2-0, 0.50) to the mound, while the Crimson give the starting nod to junior Ed Beatin (1-0, 0.00). After Beatin sends Rutgers down in order to start the game, senior catcher Jack Boyle manages a lead off walk in the bottom of the 1st. After a pop out, Boyle tries to steal second. The throw is wild and he heads to third. Boyle would score on a ground out on the next at bat and give Harvard an early 1-0 lead.
Mike Smith, who DH's when he isn't pitching, leads off the 2nd inning for Rutgers with a triple!! Smith scores on the following at bat thanks to a fielding error. The Scarlet Knights then take the lead when senior shortstop Ryan Guenther delivers an RBI single. Trailing 2-1, Harvard tries to score in the bottom half of the 2nd, but Bobby Kaczynski is thrown out at home for the final out. Rutgers is hyped in the 3rd, as Harvard is shaken. Two fielding errors by the Crimson start out the inning on the wrong foot. A wild pitch and a base hit lead to two more Rutgers runs, as they extend their lead to 4-1. Harvard scores a run in the bottom half of the 3rd to cut the lead to 4-2. But Rutgers doesn't let up, as they continue to give Beatin a beatin'. One single and two doubles lead to two more Scarlet Knight runs, as the lead goes to 6-2. It takes a couple of innings, but Harvard manages a couple of runs of their own in the 5th, cutting the Rutgers lead to 6-4.
Rutgers scores again in the 7th, as Beatin issues a bases loaded walk to make it 7-4. Harvard manages to get the run back in the bottom of the 7th to make it 7-5. Both pitchers give up a base hit in every half inning, but no runs are scored. Harvard puts a man 90 feet away with two outs in the 9th, but the game ends on a ground out and Rutgers holds on to win it, 7-5. The series is tied, 1-1, as the Scarlet Knights send it back home.
Game 3
There's rain in the air for Game 3 between Columbia and Syracuse. Kilroy and Perry return as the starters in a Game 1 rematch. Along with the rain, the wind is blowing out to left at 16 mph. Regardless, 1764 brave souls have come out to Orange Ballpark in spite of mother nature to see this one. The game is scoreless for the first inning and a half, but that changes in the bottom of the 2nd, when sophomore DH Ken Bradley manages to flyball to deep left and turn it into an inside the park homer! Syracuse follows up with a double and a single. Columbia contributes an error and passed ball, as the Orange score two more times to take a 3-0 lead.
Columbia gets on the board in the top of the 3rd, thanks to Dan Palmer's RBI single, which cuts the Orange lead down to 3-1. The score would hold until the top of the 6th, when the Lions' bats would come to life!! Columbia hits two triples, a double, and a single en route to scoring four times, taking the lead 4-3!! But in the 7th, Syracuse manages to tie the game on a Mike Bromberek RBI single to left. The game remains tied, 4-4, as we enter the 9th. Columbia's Justin Gogins singles to lead off the 9th and works his way around to third. But he's stranded there on a ground out to first base. Kilroy starts out the bottom of the 9th by getting a ground out, but then gives up a base hit to pinch hitter Adam Johnston. Kilroy then plunks Bromberek on a 2-2 pitch. Syracuse brings in a pinch runner for Johnston, as there are men on first and second with one out. A lazy fly ball gives the Orange a base hit and the bases are loaded for Mauricio Mejia. The junior right fielder connects on the first pitch and sends it flying out to center. The catch is made, and so is the tag up at third. The runner heads for the plate as the throw is made. And the play at the plate.......He's SAFE!!!! Syracuse wins the game, 5-4, and takes the series two games to one.
And who will face the Orange in the Collegiate Championship Series?? Will it be Harvard or Rutgers?? The Crimson are on the road against the Scarlet Knights. It's a beautiful day at the ballpark, with clear skies and 82 degrees. The wind may be a factor today, as it's blowing out to center at 17 mph. Gumbert and Smith return to the mound for their respective teams. There are 1669 fans at the Ballpark of Rutgers for this decisive Game 3.
Rutgers starts off slow, committing two errors in the 1st. Harvard manages a base hit and pushes a run across for the early 1-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd, the Scarlet Knights are again their own worst enemy. They commit another error and Smith throws a wild pitch, Harvard gets a base hit and scores a run in exchange for a 6-4-3 double play. The Crimson lead it 2-0. Gumbert and Smith are locked into a duel and the score remains into the 5th. Harvard then starts making mistakes, committing two errors of their own. Rutgers gets a run out of it, and cuts the lead in half, 2-1. The pitchers continue to give up hits here and there, but no runs are scored, as the Crimson hold onto their slim lead. Rutgers junior second baseman Omari Boyd leads off the bottom of the 9th with a base hit to left. The home crowd is getting hyped!! Boyd is sacrificed over to second, bringing up Ryan Guenther. Guenther swings at the first pitch he sees and sends it screaming to Harvard's second baseman, sophomore Cupid Childs. Childs jumps up and snags the liner!! Boyd is caught off the bag, as Childs quickly throws to Herman Long covering second. Boyd is doubled up and it's game over!!! Harvard wins it, 2-1, and takes the series two games to one.
Syracuse is heading to the finals for the third time in their history. They lost the inaugural series in 1871 and won the national title in 1886. This is Harvard's fourth appearance in the Collegiate Championship Series, and their first since they won three consecutive national titles from 1874-76.