EASTLAKE, Ohio – The Adrian College baseball team opened its NCAA Division III College World Series run on Friday evening with a statement victory. The No. 7-seeded Bulldogs defeated No. 2-seeded Rowan University, 10-1, in the opening round to advance to the winner's bracket. Adrian earns its 38th win of the season which sets a new program record for most wins in a single season.
Adrian threatened early when Nic Bruder led off the game with a double to left field but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. The Bulldogs were held without another hit until the sixth inning, while Rowan took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly.
The game changed dramatically in the sixth inning.
Jack Boike started the frame with a double off the wall before Bruder was hit by a pitch. Rolando Jimenez followed with an infield single to load the bases. Gabe Jones then delivered the biggest swing of the night, launching a grand slam to center field to give Adrian a 4-1 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to pour it on. After two outs, Brendan Willadsen was hit by a pitch and Jake Burns ripped an RBI double. Casey Finn reached on an error before Boike drove in another run with his second double of the inning. Bruder capped the rally with an RBI single up the middle as Adrian exploded for eight runs in the inning and took an 8-1 advantage.
Adrian added to its lead in the eighth when Burns collected an RBI single after reaching earlier in the inning. In the ninth, Aiden Melvin came through with a pinch-hit RBI single to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 10-1.
On the mound, Landon Kozlowski turned in a strong start, allowing just one run on nine hits over six innings while striking out five. Sean Parker took over in relief and was dominant, tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn the save.
Parker retired the first two batters of the ninth via strikeout before inducing a groundout to seal the victory.
Bruder, Burns, and Boike each recorded two hits for Adrian. Burns and Boike drove in two runs apiece, while Jones finished with four RBIs thanks to his sixth-inning grand slam. Kozlowski earned the win, and Parker secured the save with his three shutout innings of relief.
With the victory, Adrian advances to the winner's bracket and will face the winner of No. 3 Salisbury and No. 6 Endicott on Saturday, May 30, at approximately 8:30 p.m.
