HOUGHTON, NY—It seems only fitting that in their 12^th meeting of the season, five of which have been determined by a single run, that the Empire 8 semifinal between the #3 seed Utica Pioneers and the #2 seed Houghton Highlanders would come down to the final out.
 
After Utica scored three unearned runs in the top of the ninth to take an 8-6 lead, the Pioneers brought on ace Griffin Baur, who had thrown over 100 pitches the day before, to close out the game.
 
Jason Kauffeldt and Chris VanCheri both singled to start the bottom of the ninth.  After Kauffeldt stole third base, Kevin Zientara hit a one-out single to right field, scoring Kauffeldt and pulling the Highlanders within a run with runners on first and second. 
 
Baur struck out the next batter, and quickly went 0-and-2 on Houghton leadoff hitter, David Wessells.  After fighting off a couple of pitches, Wessells laced a line drive to centerfield, but the Utica centerfielder ended the Houghton rally with a grab on the run.
 
Houghton starter Ryan Newtown surrendered only two earned runs over 7.1 innings of work and left the game with a 5-3 lead.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Score: Utica – 8 | Houghton - 7
Records: Utica: 18-15 | Houghton: 20-14
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton College | Attendance: 92
 
 
KEY STATS:
>> Newtown finished his rookie season with the Highlanders with a 7-1 record, the most single season victories by a Houghton pitcher in program history.
 
>> Every starter in the Houghton lineup collected at least one hit.  The Highlanders edged the Pioneers in hits on the day, 13-12.
 
>> Wayne Rode went 2-for-3 on the day with a homerun and a pair of intentional walks.  Rode's homerun was his seventh of the season (a single-season Houghton record) and the 10^th of his career, surpassing Tage Johnson's ('18) previous record of nine homeruns.  Rode also finished with single-season bests in batting average (.434) and slugging percentage (.818), and finished second in on-base percentage (.508).
 
>> Kauffeldt, Dylan Boprey and Zientara all collected two hits apiece for the Highlanders.
 
>> Houghton stole four more bases on the day, giving them a season total of 83 steals in 94 attempts, giving the 2021 team the second most stolen bases in a single season in Houghton history (2015 – 88 stolen bases) but the most stolen bases per game (2.44 per game).
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"I am incredibly proud of this team for the season they put together.  They left everything on the field today, just like they did all season long.  They battled for 27 outs, and they did it the right way.  They loved their teammates, and respected their opponents and the game.  While it was heartbreaking to have our season end today, I couldn't have asked to coach a better team.
 
"I absolutely loved coming to work every day.  The 27 guys on this team worked hard every day and experienced the joy of God through the game of baseball, a joy that overflowed into every other corner of their lives.  We played for an audience of one, and we played for His pleasure.  This team loves each other and it showed.
 
"We may not lose a lot of numbers [to graduation] this year, but we will lose a lot.  The statistics [of our graduates] certainly stand out, but the leadership they displayed and the culture they perpetuated and built upon will stand out more.  Kevin Zientara, Jared Couch, Joe Gross, Wayne Rode, Whitney Cook and David Wessells have left a formidable legacy.  I cannot thank them enough for what they have given to our program, on the field and off. 
 
"We will return a tremendous group of players that have learned to compete.  I'm already looking forward to September." – Coach Brian Reitnour