Upset-minded Panthers turn Game 1 into a rout

McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Perhaps motivated by a rare underdog label and No. 5 seed in the six-team NCAA Division III West Region playoffs, the Chapman University baseball team made one thing clear on Thursday: the road to the regional championship still goes through the Panthers. Chapman exploded for six runs in the second and led 14-1 after four innings on its way to a 16-2 win over No. 2 Texas-Tyler in the first round of the regional tournament at Roy Hesler Field.

The Panthers have won the West Region championship four consecutive years and five out of the past six as they begin defense of their title, this time in Oregon.

Chapman (27-14) jumped on top in the first inning thanks to a solo home run by freshman DH Ben Owens. But it was a six-spot in the second inning that knocked Texas-Tyler (38-11) out of the game. Junior OF Ryan Prechtl doubled in two runs and then Owens followed with a two-run single to give the Panthers a 5-0 lead. Senior IF Tristan Phillips and sophomore IF Tyler Hadzinsky followed with RBI singles and Chapman led 7-0.

The Panthers didn't stop there, scoring four more times in the third inning. Junior OF Ryan Hall led off with a solo home run down the left field line to chase Tyler starting pitcher Brett Holland. After an RBI double by sophomore OF John Semel, he then advanced to third on a wild pitch and stole home with Phillips at the plate. It was Semel's 20th stolen base of the season and Chapman led 11-1.

Hall added his second home run of the game to leadoff the fourth and the Panthers added two more runs in the inning. Chapman also posted single runs in the fifth, and again in the seventh thanks to a solo homer by junior C Joe Lehman.

Meanwhile, Chapman's pitching was superb. Three Panther arms combined to toss a four-hitter and allowed just two earned runs to the Patriots who entered the game with a Division III-leading 38 victories and averaged over 8.8 runs per game. Senior RHP Wayde Kitchens tossed the first two innings and earned two strikeouts, tying him with Scott Akamine with a school-record 294 career punchouts.

Senior RHP Matt Irsfeld (3-2) relieved Kitchens with four innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven and earning his third victory of the year. Freshman LHP Ben Levitt closed it out with three shutout innings for his second save of the year.

Chapman pounded 24 hits in the game, one shy of their season-best. Phillips, Hall and senior IF Patrick Ohail had four hits apiece. Phillips, Hall and Owens drove in three runs each.

Chapman will play the winner of tonight's Cal Lutheran-George Fox (Ore.) game at 7 p.m. on Friday in the winner's bracket. The Panthers split two games with Cal Lu during the regular season, but have not faced George Fox since the 2007 NCAA playoffs.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2008-09/stats/cu-utt.htm