AUBURN, N.Y. - Westfield State's stellar baseball season came to an end on Friday, as #4 seeded Baldwin Wallace College eliminated the Owls from the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament with a 3-2 win at Falcon Park in Auburn, N.Y.

The #8 seeded Owls season ends at 24-18-1, while #4 seed Baldwin-Wallace improves to 32-13.

"We played two tough games here against two nationally-ranked programs and went toe-to-toe with them but didn't do enough to come out with a win," said Westfield State head coach Nathan Bashaw. "Overall it has been a good year. We battled through a lot, through some injuries, and weather, and everything. The guys are tough. We've got a tough crew, a scrappy crew and gave two teams all they could handle."

"It's great for the seniors, going out with a tournament appearance, for our returning guys it's definitely something they can build on … they've been exposed to good teams all year, but the atmosphere, the travel, the logistical stuff, it will pay dividends down the road for us," added Bashaw.

Baldwin Wallace got on the board with a single run in the top of the first. Dudley Taw reached on a catcher's interference call, and later scored as Alex Ludwick doubled into the left field corner.

Westfield starter Nate Barnes worked out of a spot of trouble in the second inning, getting some help from and unusual double play as the hitter Trent Kaltenbach interfered with Owls' catcher Jake Gibb on a steal attempt, becoming a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play.

Westfield missed a chance in the bottom of the fourth, as Alex Lafayette and Anthony Crowley reached on back-to-back singles, the first two hits of the game for the Owls.

The Yellow Jackets added a run in the top the fifth as Kaltenbach reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to third on a well-executed hit and run as nine-hole hitter Kyle Pennington rapped a base hit to right center. Kaltenbach scored on Chase Knodle's fielder's choice, as he beat out the throw to first to avoid the inning-ending double play.

Westfield put two men on in the bottom of the fifth as Tyler Beach reached on a bunt single, and John Lippincott followed with base hit up the middle to extend his hit streak to 11 games, but Baldwin-Wallace starter Danny Cody struck out Brett Dooley to end the Owls threat.



Baldwin Wallace delivered another run in the sixth, as Jacob Bonner singled through the second base hole and drove in Spencer Badia.

The Owls finally got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth inning, as Anthony Crowley and Jake Gibb put together back to back base hits, advanced on a wild pitch, and then Aaron Clancy delivered a 2-out, 2-rbi line single to center field.

"Clancy has had some big hits for us all year," said Bashaw. "He gives you a good quality at bat every time. He took a pitch he could handle the other way. We had been chasing it, and he put us one swing away from tying or winning the game."

Westfield loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, as Brett Dooley walked, Alex Lafayette singled over second base, and Anthony Crowley walked, with two out, but Jake Gibb flied to right field to end the inning.

"It was tough," said Bashaw. "We had some runners on, but it was always with two outs, and we only got one shot at driving somebody in. They didn't make ton of mistakes or give us many extra bases, so you had to earn everything and we couldn't get that big hit. They made some pitches when they needed to step up and that's baseball"

In the top of the ninth, Lippincott threw out Baldwin-Wallace's Reese Albright at the plate trying to score from second on a base hit to end the top of the ninth, holding the Owls' deficit to just one run going to the bottom half.

"He's been phenomenal defensively all year," said Bashaw of Lippincott. "That was huge, and Gibb made a great play on the in-between hop on the throw and makes the tag and that gave us a chance and some momentum heading to the ninth."

Lefthander Spencer Berg relived Cody to start the bottom of the ninth inning for the Yellow Jackets. He retired the first two hitters he faced before the Owls' Brett Dooley worked a walk, but Berg induced a foul pop to first from Lafayette, the Owls #3 hitter to end the game.

"Dooley is an on base machine, and gets on in those big situations," said Bashaw. "That's exactly what we needed there and he gave a shot to the middle of the lineup, and if you could script it out that's exactly what you would want."

Barnes (3-1) ended up taking the pitching loss. He worked seven innings, allowed six hits and just two earned runs. He struck out one and walked two while tossing 113 pitches.

"Barnes was phenomenal," said Bashaw. "[Baldwin Wallace] has a really good lineup numbers were impressive all year … We saw Swarthmore started a similar lefty against them yesterday and had some good success. They have a fairly heavy lefty lineup, he's a guy that can keep them off balance and he did that. He battled He's a senior, a fifth year guy gave us every shot to compete and win a baseball game."

Danny Cody (7-3) earned the win for Baldwin Wallace in an eight-inning, 138-pitch performance. Ranked among the national leaders in strikeouts, Cody scattered eight hits and three walks and struck out seven.

"You have to tip your hat that kid, he threw a heck of a game," said Bashaw.

Lafayette and Crowley each had a pair of hits for Westfield. Clancy finished 1-4 with two RBI.

Designated hitter Phil Wells was the only batter with multiple hits for the Yellowjackets , finishing 3-4 on the day. Berg earned his second save of the season.

Baldwin-Wallace advances to play at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday against the loser of tonight's game between # 3 Southern Maine and #2 Salisbury (Md.) in what will be another elimination game in the double-elimination regional bracket.