The Division III College World Series on Friday marked the end of a historic 168-year existence for the Birmingham-Southern College baseball team, as they faced off against Salve Regina at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding their appearance in the tournament, the Panthers garnered national attention and played bravely against their opponents.
Unfortunately, their first game did not go as planned as they fell short to Salve Regina with a score of 7-5. Salve Regina’s catcher, Brady Smolinski, set the tone early with a three-run home run in the third inning. The Seahawks continued to build their lead with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, thanks to solid hitting from players like Matt D’Amato, Michael Breen, and Tyler Cannoe. Despite putting up a strong fight, Birmingham-Southern struggled to keep up and was unable to overcome Salve Regina’s pitching prowess.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Panthers as they showed signs of a comeback in the sixth and seventh innings by scoring runs off hits by Charlie Banks, Eli Steadman, Andrew Dutton and Ian Hancock. They even loaded the bases in the eighth and threatened to make a comeback in the ninth. But Salve Regina’s pitching shut them down when it mattered most, with Kyle Carroza being particularly effective at stopping their offense.
Despite this setback
