Lenoir-Rhyne Powers Past East Stroudsburg in College World Series Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 1 |
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0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 15 | 15 | 1 |
CARY, N.C. (TheSAC.com) – The No. 3 seed Lenoir-Rhyne Bears exploded for 13 runs across the third, fourth, and fifth innings to outlast No. 6 East Stroudsburg, 15-11, in their opening game of the 2025 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Friday afternoon.
With the win, Lenoir-Rhyne advances in the winner's bracket and will face the winner of Central Missouri and Northwood on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Bears (49-13) pounded out 15 hits, including four home runs, led by senior Sal Carricato, who went 2-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs. Eli Willen added a home run and three RBIs, while Owen Blackledge blasted a two-run shot of his own in the fourth.
After falling behind 3-0, Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a three-run third inning and followed with a seven-run outburst in the fourth, highlighted by Wainwright's three-run double and Blackledge's homer. Carricato added his first long ball in the fifth and crushed another in the seventh to cap LR's scoring.
On the mound, Andrew Harlow improved to 12-1, tossing six strong innings while allowing just three earned runs and striking out six.
Despite a late eight-run surge from East Stroudsburg in the final two innings, LR's early offensive barrage proved too much to overcome. The Warriors (40-15) were led by Chaise Albus, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
Lenoir-Rhyne's 15-run performance marked its highest scoring output in NCAA postseason play this season and secured the program's first-ever win in the DII College World Series finals.