Montclair State's O'Brien thwarts Whitworth rally in NCAA Division III Regional opener

May 15—MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Whitworth fell into a four-run hole, then rallied to cut its deficit to one run late in its NCAA Division III Regional opener. But the comeback bid was thwarted by a Montclair State freshman who had frustrated the Pirates all day.

Red Hawks third baseman Danny O'Brien capped his 5-for-5, six-RBI afternoon with a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting second-seeded host Montclair State to a 10-5 win over third-seeded Whitworth on Friday at Yogi Berra Stadium.

The Pirates (28-15) will play fourth-seeded Husson University (24-17), of Maine, at 8 a.m. Pacific Saturday in a loser-out game. Montclair State (31-9) advanced to take on top-seeded Endicott College (36-9), of Massachusetts, on Saturday. Endicott routed Husson 17-0 in the early game Friday. If the Pirates beat Husson, they'll meet the loser of the Endicott/Montclair game later Saturday.

In the opener, Whitworth fell behind 6-2 in the fifth inning but crept back, pulling within one run in the seventh on Austin Paul's RBI double and a sacrifice flyout. The Red Hawks answered in the bottom half, scoring one on a sacrifice flyout.

Montclair State then pulled away in the eighth. Four consecutive Red Hawks batters reached base with two outs against standout Whitworth reliever Seth Mahler, and O'Brien's second double of the day cleared the bases to fashion the final score.

O'Brien hit a two-run single in the first inning, but Paul responded with his own two-RBI knock in the second. O'Brien added an RBI single in the fifth, part of a six-hit, four-run frame that ended with the Red Hawks leading 6-2.

Montclair State outhit the Pirates 15-8 and limited the visitors to one walk. Paul, a senior second baseman, led the Pirates at the plate with three RBIs. Designated hitter Yash Gupta also had two hits. Whitworth star outfielder Kyle Memarian, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year, went hitless for the first time since April 12.

Pirates starter Nathaniel Kurano (7-4) took his first loss since April 4, surrendering six runs on 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Montclair State's Colin Dowlen (8-2) earned the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with three strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.