MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The bottom half of the Whitworth University lineup delivered the Pirates their first NCAA Division III baseball regional victory since 2016 in a 15-10 win over Husson University on Saturday morning at Yogi Berra Stadium.
Whitworth (29-15) survives to play again on Saturday evening against either 9th-ranked Endicott College or #13 Montclair State University. Husson's season ends at 26-18.
The Pirates' five through nine hitters in the order combined to go 13 for 19 at the plate with 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Centerfielder Dominic Giusti finished 4 for 4 with a walk, five runs and one RBI. Catcher Ty Komoda went 3 for 3 with a walk, five RBIs and one run scored.
Whitworth took a 6-0 lead through three innings, scoring two in the second and four in the third. Komoda's two-run double accounted for the first two runs. Spencer Shipman led off the third with his team-leading 12th home run of the season. Nate Gray Jr. added a two-run single later in the frame.
Pirate starting pitcher Dylan Huntsman retired the first nine Eagles in order, but Husson got to him for six runs in the fourth. Keegan Cyr, the ninth man in the lineup, delivered a three-run double that tied the game.
Whitworth got the lead back in the fifth, scoring four times. Designated hitter Yash Gupta had an RBI double to right and Austin Paul added a two-run single through the right side. The Bucs never trailed again.
Husson got within 10-8 in the sixth when two runs scored on a Pirate throwing error.
Leading 11-8, the Pirates put the game away with four more runs in the seventh. Giusti got his RBI on a single through the left side and another scored on Gupta's infield single with the bases loaded. Komoda came through again with a two-run single to center field for a 15-8 lead.
Matt Holmes homered as part of a two-run ninth inning for the Eagles.
Rylan Blair (1-0) relieved Huntsman and got the win with 2.1 innings of work. He allowed two unearned runs, but no hits with four strikeouts. Tyler Disch tossed one scoreless frame before Emerson Fleck pitched the final two innings.
Chris Lusignan started for Husson and gave up five runs on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. Blake Littlefield (1-2) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work. Four more Eagles followed in relief.
The win is Whitworth's first in an NCAA Regional since the Pirates defeated Case Western Reserve 8-5 in 2016. The Pirates have not won two games in one regional since 2012 when the team won the regional and advanced to the Division III World Series.
