USA Baseball National Training Complex - Cary, N.C.
Hosted by Town of Cary and Mount Olive College

National Championship Game
Lynn 2, Emporia State 1

Stat Of The Day: Two of the three runs in the championship game were scored on outs. Emporia State's run came on a bases loaded groundout. Lynn's first run was on a sacrifice fly.

Stat Of The Tournament: The team scoring first lost the opening game of the tournament , then won nine in a row. The team scoring first lost both semifinal games and the championship game.

Quote Of The Day: "“These guys kept believing in each other. They pick each other up when things are down and that's the reason we were in this position today, because they're relentless in picking each other up and pulling for each other. What a great experience, and I'm happy to be a part of this special group of guys.”
Lynn head coach Rudy Garbalosa.

Unbeaten Knights: Lynn posted a perfect 8-0 record in the NCAA Tournament, going 4-0 in the South Regional and 4-0 in the National Finals. The last team to go unbeaten in the post-season was Tampa in 2006.

Record-Tying Pitcher's Duel: The combined three runs tied the record for fewest runs scored in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Cal State Northridge defeated Nichols State 2-1 in 1970, the third year of the championship.

Lights Out (Uh-Huh, Flash-Flash-Flash): Lynn reliever and torunament Most Outstanding Player Tommy Kahnle retired all six batters he faced against Emporia State, all six he faced in Thursday's win over Belmont Abbey and 21 of the final 22 he faced in his three appearances at the National Finals. The lone baserunner during that span was a Dowling batter who drew a walk and was thrown out trying to advance to second on a ball that got past the catcher. Overall, opposing batters were 1-for-23 against Kahnle at the National Finals.

Redemption Song: Tommy Kahnle came into the National Finals with a record of 6-4 and a 5.04 earned run average on the season. A former starter, all five of his saves in 2009 came in the NCAA Tournament.

Unlikely Hornet Hero: Emporia State's Kellen Lane wasn't even in the starting lineup in the Hornets' first two games in the National Finals, but he was 2-for-2 as a pinch-hitter in those games. He started in left field in the final two games, going 5-for-9, including a ninth-inning walk-off two-run homer in the semifinals against UC San Diego. Lane, who entered the National Finals batting .278, posted a .636 batting average (7-for-11) at the National Finals and was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Another Trophy To The Mantlepiece: The national championship was the first for Lynn in baseball, but far from the first for the school. Lynn now has a combined 19 national championships, eight in NCAA Division II and 11 in NAIA.

So Close: Saturday's game marks the second year in a row an Emporia State team has come within a run of winning a national championship. The Hornets' softball team lost a one-run game in the championship game of last year's NCAA II Softball Tournament.

Sunshine Shines Again: Lynn becomes the third team from the Sunshine State Conference to win a national title, joining perennial powers Florida Southern and Tampa. Between them, the three schools have accounted for 15 NCAA Division II national baseball titles, including four in the last five seasons.

National Finals "Cycle": With his triple in the second inning Saturday, Emporia State's Jacob White became the only player to hit for the cycle in this year's National Finals. White homered in the Hornets' first game against Grand Valley State for his first collegiate home run and also had a double and multiple singles. Lynn's Daniel Flores came close with a home run, two triples and multiple singles.

No Texas-Boston College Games At Cary: None of the 13 games at the National Finals went extra innings. Two games came close - GAme 5 (Belmont Abbey vs. Grand Valley State) and Game 11 (Emporia State vs. UC San Diego) - but both were decided on walk-off hits in the bottom of the ninth. In case you haven't heard, Texas defeated Boston College 3-2 in the Austin Regional of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The game went 25 innings and lasted more than seven hours.

"Homefield" Advantage?: The "home" team went 8-5 at the National Finals, winning seven of the last nine after a 1-3 start. The home team won both semifinal games, but the visiting team won the championship game.
 

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