The first game of the day starts in Villanova, Pennsylvania, where the Harvard Crimson have traveled to take on the hometown Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats were the CBA's best team and are heavy favorites in this series. However, Villanova has never advanced to the Collegiate Championship Series in five prior trips to the playoffs. It's a great day for baseball at 75 degrees and clear skies. The wind is blowing in from center field at 9 mph. Freshman Adam Blanks is on the mound for the Crimson. For the season, Blanks was 12-8, with a 1.89 earned run average in 23 starts. Blanks faced this Wildcat team on April 15th. Villanova won that game 6-3. Blanks held the Wildcats to five hits over nine innings, but also issued five walks in that contest. Villanova starts junior Sergio Macias. Macias finished the season 23-6, with a 1.36 ERA. Macias led the CBA in wins, ERA, WHIP (0.79), BB/9 (0.2), and BABIP (.231). Macias' lone start against this Harvard team on April 16th, however, earned him a loss, as the Crimson won the game 8-7. Macias gave up 15 hits over 7 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs in the 7th and 8th innings and blowing a 6-1 lead.
Both pitchers start out well in the 1st inning. Macias pitches a three up, three down inning again in the 2nd inning, but Blanks isn't so fortunate. In the bottom of the 2nd, the inning begins and ends with Wildcat senior catcher Lew "Blower" Brown. Brown grounds out to start the inning and grounds into a double play to end the inning, as Villanova runs through the lineup and bats around. In between Brown's at bats, Villanova scores six runs on five hits, combined with four Harvard errors, two passed balls and two walks. At the end of two, Villanova leads it 6-0!!
Macias continues to pitch well, holding the Crimson without a hit through four innings. Harvard finally get a couple of hits off of Macias in the 5th, scoring two runs with the help of two Wildcat errors. Villanova gets a run back in the bottom frame and at the end of five, the Wildcats lead, 7-2. But Macias collects himself, allowing only three more hits over the final four innings. Villanova scores one in the 6th and two in the 8th, winning Game 1 by a score of 10-2.
James and Ephraim made the trip to Ithaca, New York, to cheer on Thomas at Big Red Ballpark. There is one empty seat at the stadium, as 1499 fans pack the 1500 capacity park. It is 67 degrees and the skies are clear, with the wind blowing in from right field at 8 mph. The Fordham Rams find themselves in the post season for only the second time, the last in 1877, when they won the national championship. On the mound for the Rams is sophomore Freddy Salazar. For the season, Salazar is 21-8, with a 2.09 ERA. He started 30 games, striking out 95 and walking 26. In three starts against Cornell, Salazar went 1-2, with a 4.62 ERA. On the hill for the Big Red is junior Lee Richmond. Richmond transferred in to Cornell after spending two years at a community college and he made quite an impression. On the season, Richmond is 22-9, with a 2.46 ERA in 31 starts. Against Fordham, Richmond is 3-1, with a 1.75 ERA in four starts. He held the Rams to 24 hits over 36 innings.
**Author's note** Not knowing anything about Lee Richmond, I did a little research...and I'm glad I did. Statistically speaking, nothing jumped out at me, so I didn't expect to find much. But, I was wrong. He led Brown to a national championship over Yale in 1879. At the same time, he started pitching professionally, leading to rules banning professionals from participating in amateur sports. In his professional debut, he no-hit the Chicago White Stockings. In 1880, he would throw the first perfect game, leading his Worcester team over Cleveland, 1-0. If you would like to read more about Richmond, click
here for the link to SABR's article on him.
Richmond starts out the game by recording a quick out. But the second batter, Fordham freshman center fielder Jaheem Cowart, grounds the ball to first. Richmond runs over to cover the bag, but drops the throw by "Big Dan" Brouthers, earning himself an error. Junior catcher Jack Rowe commits the second error of the inning, sending a throw into center field on Cowart's steal attempt. Cowart takes third with Fordham sophomore second baseman Chris Johnson at the plate. Johnson grounds a slow roller to short for out number two, but Cowart speeds home to give the Rams an early 1-0 lead. Both Salazar and Richmond lock into a pitcher's duel. In the 4th inning, Fordham scores again thanks to three Cornell errors. The Rams, already leading 2-0, add another run in the top of the 5th to make it 3-0. Salazar spreads out seven hits over nine innings on his way to a 3-0 win in Game 1. Richmond holds Fordham to three hits, but the Big Red commit seven errors in the game.
