NCAA® 2006 DIVISION III BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
WEST REGION

GAME 9
#3 Chapman 7, #6 George Fox 1

CHAPMAN ONE WIN AWAY FROM SECOND STRAIGHT REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ORANGE, Calif. - Last May, Chapman left-hander Billy Sulentor pitched a complete-game shutout against Texas Lutheran in the West Region championship game. This time around, the senior pitched the Panthers into the championship game, tossing a complete game six-hitter as Chapman defeated George Fox 7-1 in the NCAA Division III West Region championships at Hart Park on Friday night.

Chapman (30-10) is 3-0 in the double-elimination tournament and will need to beat Texas Lutheran just once on Saturday to clinch its second straight regional championship and a berth in the Division III World Series in Appleton, Wis. Saturday's championship round begins at 1 p.m.

Of course, the matchup between the Panthers and Texas Lutheran is what the Bulldogs have been dreaming of for 12 months. It was Chapman who defeated TLU twice on the final day of the regional championships in 2005 to advance to the World Series. This year the roles have been reversed entering the last day of the tournament.

Friday night's was Sulentor's first appearance since he failed to make it out of the fourth inning against the same George Fox team in his start on May 6. That day, the lefty was roughed up for seven hits and seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Bruins. However, on this night Sulentor ruled, striking out six batters and allowing just one eighth inning run.

Once again, Chapman provided plenty of run support, scoring seven runs (for the third straight night) on 11 hits. The Panther offense was paced by leadoff batter Jarrod Sammet, who belted a solo home run to lead off the first inning and finished the game 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. The right fielder also earned two assists, throwing out a George Fox runner trying to score on a fly ball, and then teaming with second baseman Kyle Redding to gun down another man trying to score on an extra-base hit.

Steve Fraser went 3-for-3 in the game and Brian Brubaker homered in the fourth inning for Chapman.

Marc Mason led George Fox (29-15) with a pair of hits and Kevin Kopple's eighth inning double led to the Bruins' only run.

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Game stats available online:
/athletics/05-06/baseball/regionals/game9.htm