AU Notebook: Zattlin Provides Fire With Bat and Arm
May 30, 2006

AU catcher Eric Zattlin was 1-for-3 on Tuesday against Chico State. He knocked in Ashland’s first run with a ringing double to left center and started the ninth-inning rally that tied the game by drawing a walk.

Over his last three postseason games Zattlin is 5-for-8 with three RBI and four runs scored. He’s provided clutch hitting from the eighth spot in the batting order and his defense has been outstanding. He gunned down one runner attempting to steal on Tuesday.

What makes this all the more impressive is that Zattlin is playing basically on one leg, he’ll need surgery in the offseason. The catcher who normally plays in place of Zattlin, sophomore Chase Beatty, also missed considerable time this season with a shoulder injury. Both players have to wonder what kind of seasons they would have had if they could have avoided the injury bug. Beatty pinch ran for Zattlin on Tuesday and stayed in the game to catch. He came off the bench in Sunday’s game against Franklin Pierce and delivered a double and drove in a run.

“We’ve had injuries this year,” noted AU head coach John Schaly. “Look at both of our catchers.”

Tuesday’s game was Ashland’s third extra-inning contest in the NCAA postseason. The Eagles are 1-2 in those games. This was the longest game of the three. Prior to the Chico State game, Ashland’s last extra-inning game in the NCAA playoffs came in the 2003 regional tournament when the Eagles lost to Grand Valley State, 3-2 in 11 innings. The Eagles started that tournament with a 12-inning, 5-4 conquest of Missouri-St. Louis.

AU continues to get exceptional pitching in the postseason. Douglas threw very well against Chico State and that came on the heels of his start at Grand Valley State in the regional final. In that game, he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed a run on four hits. Now a cause for concern – in both games in Montgomery, the opposition has put AU in an immediate hole by scoring in the first inning. Heading into the Championships, Ashland had outscored the opposition, 86-25 in the first inning.

The Eagles must now bounce back and play Franklin Pierce on Wednesday. The Ravens earned the right to stay in Montgomery on Tuesday afternoon with a 4-0 triumph over Emporia State. That game took 11 innings. The Ravens are led by first team All-America shortstop Garrett Olson. He homered against AU on Sunday. Olson has 14 homers this season and is hitting .378. He’s expected to be picked in the major league draft.

Third baseman Scott Savastano is Franklin Pierce’s leading hitter – he came to Alabama with a .394 batting average. Second baseman Mike Chambers was 3-for-4 with a three-run double Tuesday against Emporia State. First baseman Bryan Duplissie has 13 homers and 61 RBI to go with a .352 batting average.

Tuesday’s win went to Tyler Cummings (10-1) who pitched 10 scoreless innings, allowing six hits. Franklin Pierce is fourth in the nation in earned run average (2.72) and 20th in strikeouts (7.9 per nine innings). The Ravens lead the country in fielding percentage (.974) and have committed an error or less in 38 of their 55 games. They have played 30 errorless games.

Tourney Talk: Tampa, who has assumed the favorite’s role at the Championships, features a middle of the order with ABCA player of the year Lee Cruz hitting third and first baseman Jose Jimenez, a third team ABCA All-America, batting fourth. In the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday night, Tampa had a runner on second base in a tie game with Montevallo. Montevallo intentionally walked Cruz to get to Jimenez, who lashed a single to center to bring home the winning run in a 5-4 triumph that made the Spartans 2-0 in Montgomery.

Ashland’s three-four slots have been in the hands of Justin Randall and Casey Jirsa, and they’ve provided great production all season. Now, check out Tampa’s. Entering the Championships, Cruz was hitting .438 with 23 homers and 88 RBI. Jimenez was hitting .395 with 17 roundtrippers and 61 RBI.

West Chester freshman pitcher Jason Bowman entered the Championships with no walks in 48.1 innings. He was 3-2 with two saves and a 2.98 ERA. In West Chester’s first game in Alabama, a loss to Montevallo on Saturday, Bowman walked his first batter of the season. He also hit a pair of batters and was saddled with the loss.

Three of the first six games at the Championships ended with a walk-off hit and five of the first six games were one-run affairs. West Chester split its first two games and both went extra innings. The Golden Rams lost to Montevallo in 12 frames, 3-2 and eliminated Francis Marion in 10 innings, 3-2.

In winning the South Central Regional championship. Montevallo averaged 13.8 runs per game. In two games in Montgomery the Falcons have scored seven runs.