MANCHESTER, N.H. - - Tom Bammann's complete game four hitter bedazzled the Wilmington University baseball team on Friday night, as Dowling came away with a 6-1 victory in a winner's bracket game of the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament hosted by Southern New Hampshire at Penmen Field.
Playing in a consistent mist and partial rainstorm, the game was moved from its original 4 p.m. start to allow the grounds grew to dry the field following the second game of the day.
With the loss, the Wildcats (35-10-1 overall) face top seeded and host Southern New Hampshire in an elimination game on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
Bammann worked around a leadoff single from Josh Swirchak in the top of the first inning before coming to the plate and putting an early run on the board.
An error on a sacrifice bunt play gave Dowling (35-15 overall) runners on first and second with no outs. Another successful sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position before a pop fly to shallow center fell between the center fielder, the second baseman, and the shortstop, allowing one run to score.
Wilmington starter Ray Gambone struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning, but Dowling came away with a 1-0 lead.
Gambone settled into the outing until the fourth inning, working around two two-out walks to end the inning unscathed.
Again in trouble in the fifth, the junior lefty was unable to escape the jam, again all starting with two outs and the bases empty in the inning. A pair of infield singles put runners on first and second before Daniel Parisi doubled to the gap in left center to put the Golden Lions ahead, 3-0, after four innings.
Dowling tacked on a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh off Wilmington relievers, putting the game out of reach late in the contest.
Sam Goines broke up the shutout for the Wildcats, smashing solo shot in the top of the ninth with two outs to put the Wildcats on the board. The home run was his team leading fourth on the season, giving him his team leading 43rd RBI.
Bammann struck out six batters while only allowing four hits to improve to 10-2 on the year for the Golden Lions. Gambone fell to 4-3 on the year with the loss, striking out six batters while giving up three runs on four hits, while also walking three batters.
Swirchak, Frank Samluk, Goines, and Mike Annone each collected a hit for the Wildcats in the loss.
Earlier in the day, Southern New Hampshire fell to St. Thomas Aquinas, 6-1, to pair Wilmington and the Penmen in an elimination game to start play on Saturday morning. After six games in the East Regional Tournament, there are five teams remaining with only Franklin Pierce being eliminated after two days of play.
