GRANVILLE, OH. - The Birmingham-Southern baseball team defeated #2 Denison 7-6 to win their first Super Regional title and Division III College World Series bid since 2019.

Just like game one yesterday, the Panthers brought the bats early. Ian Hancock brought home the first run of the afternoon on an RBI single before Jakob Zito tripled to right center field to give BSC a 3-0 lead early.

The Big Red scored on a ground out in the bottom of the third, but Josh Leerssen managed only one run through his first four innings on the mound. 

The Panthers had gone three innings without a run but added on in the fifth. With the bases loaded, Ty Truett was hit by a pitch to give BSC a three-run lead. Shane Nelson then followed with a single to left center field to give BSC a 5-1 lead with half a game to go.

In the seventh, Denison closed the gap with an RBI triple and infield single to cut the deficit to one. BSC failed to add any insurance runs thanks to excellent relief pitching by the Big Red.

Heading into the ninth, 'Southern led 5-4 and needed only three outs to clinch a Super Regional title. However, the offense came up clutch when freshman Charlie Banks crushed a ball on a line to left field to bring home Jackson Webster and Andrew Dutton.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Panthers led 7-4 with history on the line. The celebrations stalled as Denison brought two runs across the plate, but Charlie Horne came on to get the final out as BSC went on to win game two, 7-6 and solidify their spot in the College World Series.

Records
Birmingham-Southern 32-14, #2 Denison 42-8

Up Next
The Panthers will play in the Division III College World Series in East Lake, Ohio beginning on Friday, May 31. To help the team with expenses on their postseason journey, please donate here.