The 17th-ranked Case Western Reserve University baseball team trailed by as many as six runs and were down a run heading into the bottom of the ninth against Arcadia University on Saturday afternoon, but the Spartans rallied with two-outs for a walkoff win to reach the championship game of the NCAA Division III Baseball Cleveland Regional at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland.
The Spartans, who improved to 29-12-1 with the win, will now face either 16th-ranked Centre or Arcadia on the final day of the regional on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., with a second game to follow if necessary. CWRU needs to win just one game on Sunday to advance to next weekend's NCAA Super-Regional. Arcadia dropped to 29-16 with the loss.
Down to their final out in the ninth with the bases empty and trailing 13-12, graduate student first baseman Dane Camphausen singled to start the rally. He was pinch run for by junior Jasiah Harris, who proceeded to steal both second and third. After graduate student Franco Alonso drew a walk, senior pinch hitter Jay Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases. On the first pitch of the next at bat, junior center fielder Matt Trout was hit by a pitch, forcing across the tying run.
With graduate student third baseman Zack Carinci at the plate, Smith was picked off at second and got into a rundown, and Alonso broke for home. The Arcadia catcher could not handle a low throw from the second baseman as Alonso slid across the plate to give CWRU the walkoff win.
CWRU trailed early in the game, falling behind 3-0 in the second and 8-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth. However, the first seven batters reached for the Spartans in the frame and CWRU tied the game when sophomore shortstop Nate Arterburn hit a double on an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded to clear the bases and knot the score at 8-8.
The Knights regained the lead with three runs in the sixth, but another two strike hit from Arterburn in the sixth plated a pair of runs and brought CWRU back within a run, 11-10. In the seventh, sophomore designated hitter Tyler Stillson gave CWRU its first lead of the day with a two-out single that scored graduate student catcher Jack Anderson and senior right fielder Nick Harms, putting the Spartans in front 12-11. Arcadia once again had a response, tying the game on a solo home run in the eighth and taking the lead on a sacrifice fly in the ninth, setting up the thrilling ending in the bottom of the inning.
Arterburn led the way for the Spartans with a three-for-five day at the plate with a career-high five runs batted in and a double. Anderson, Harms, Camphausen, and Carinci each had two hits on Saturday for CWRU.
Anderson also collected the win in relief for the Spartans, improving to 2-0 for the season. Arcadia's Mitchell Bramsway suffered the loss, dropping to 5-2.
Fans can follow Saturday's action with live video and statistics. Links to track the contest are available on the Regional Tournament webpage at https://athletics.case.edu/sports/2025/4/30/2025-ncaa-diii-baseball-championship-regional-round.aspx.
