BRUNSWICK, Maine — Facing elimination and a 6–1 deficit against Colby, the Williams College Ephs dug deep and delivered a gritty, come-from-behind 8–7 victory to stay alive in the NESCAC Championship on Sunday morning. Behind timely hits, lockdown bullpen pitching, and a game-winning RBI single from
Marcus Burrell II, the Ephs extended their postseason run. They earned another shot at Middlebury for the conference title.
Early on, it was Colby who struck first. After Williams scored in the second with an RBI fielder's choice from Ben Swank, the Mules erupted for six runs in the fourth inning. A two-run double from Duncan Cullinane, an RBI single from Henry Silva, and a two-RBI knock by Ryan Grace fueled the offensive outburst that chased Ephs starter Peyton Rose from the game and gave Colby a commanding 6–1 lead.
But Williams refused to fold.
The fifth inning ignited the rally. After a Nate Rosner RBI single and a two-run single from Ryan Nakajima, Luca Lopetrone added a sacrifice fly to bring the Ephs within one. In the sixth inning, a hustle play by Anthony Lods and a single from Burrell tied the game 7–7, as Lods scored on a throwing error.
With momentum shifting, James O'Connor stepped up in the seventh and blasted a solo homer to right field to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the eighth, after Hank Jacobus was hit by a pitch and Oliver Rey pinch-ran and advanced on a sac bunt, Burrell delivered again, ripping a single down the right field line to plate Rey and give Williams its first lead of the game at 8–7.
On the mound, the Eph bullpen held strong. After Rose and Max Hart combined to stabilize things mid game, JH Vaughan, Jacob Martin, and Lucas Asanovic pitched 3.1 scoreless innings down the stretch. Asanovic also closed out the win against Colby on Friday and earned his second win of the year.
Williams racked up 12 hits , including multi-hit efforts from Burrell, Swank, Nakajima, and Rosner. Nakajima added two RBIs, while Burrell tallied the game-winning hit and drove in two. The Ephs also capitalized on three Colby errors and stayed aggressive on the bases, stealing two and executing bunts effectively.
Eph head coach Bill Barrale had nothing but praise for his team, saying, "It was a must-win game and we found a way to win like we did all year long".
With the win, Williams advances to the NESCAC Championship game against Middlebury later today. It will be the fifth meeting this season between the two teams, and the Ephs will look to finally crack the Panthers and capture their first NESCAC title since 2007.
