Box score

CARY, N.C.-  The 11th-ranked University of Indianapolis baseball team opened play at the NCAA Division II Championship with a 2-1 loss to No. 4 Catawba Sunday.

After arriving in town some 86 hours ago, the Greyhounds (46-15) finally took the field.  In their way was a Catawba club (44-15) that defeated four of the nation's top-seven teams to win the Southeast Regional last week.

UIndy pitchers Donovan Drake and Chris Saroff combined to allow just three hits in nine innings, but with the Greyhound offense generating just one run, Indian second baseman Julio Zubillaga delivered a two-run single in the sixth that proved to be the game winner.

"It was a well-pitched game from both sides," said UIndy Head Coach Gary Vaught.  "Those guys did a great job over there.  I thought their pitcher just kept battling and pitched us away and did a great job.  We knew they wouldn't beat themselves.

"I think the difference is we have pretty good sacrifice bunts and we were not very good today.  Two or three times we had the opportunity to move people up.  We knew Donovan was going to keep us close enough to give us a chance.  It was just a well-played ball game."


In just his third loss of the year, Drake (9-3) gave the Hounds six strong innings.  The UIndy workhorse threw 117 pitches, giving up two runs, three hits, four walks and striking out seven.  The Whiteland, Ind., native didn't allow a hit through four innings and pitched out of a two-on, no-out situation in the fifth before surrendering the RBI knock in the sixth.

The Hounds' lone run came in the sixth inning when a Scott Lawley single and a Matt Maringer double put two runners in scoring position with one out.  Pinch-hitter Nate Koontz followed with a timely fly ball to center, scoring Lawley with the game's first tally.

All told, the Hounds out-hit the Indians five to three, but a couple of failed bunt attempts and five stranded runners hindered the offensive output.

Now in the losers' bracket, the Greyhounds have no margin of error in the double-elimination tourney.  They'll face the loser of today's St. Mary's/Delta State match-up.   First pitch in the elimination game is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m.


Note:  UIndy also lost the opening game in its last appearance at the NCAA Championship back in 2000, but the Greyhounds went on to win two straight contests before losing to eventual national champion Southeast Oklahoma State.