MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (Saturday, May 17, 2025) -- Freshman
Nolan Romanowski came in relief in the top of the first with no outs and the #7/#10 Salve Regina University baseball team already facing a 3-0 deficit, and all the Seahawk first-year righty did was record all 27 outs on the mound while his teammates rallied for a 7-4 victory over the NCAA regional host Penn State Harrisburg at Nittany Field on Saturday afternoon. Romanowski (W, 5-0), who had a 1-2-3 inning of work in yesterday's 5-0 win against Keene State (with two strikeouts), struck out just one Penn St. Harrisburg batter today over nine frames, but limited the Lions to just four hits and one earned run.
The Seahawks (34-7) have reached the regional championship round for the fourth straight year and third straight season with no losses. Salve Regina will play the winner of today's Penn St. Harrisburg/TCNJ elimination game on Sunday morning with an 11:00 a.m. first pitch at Nittany Field. The host Lions defeated the visiting Lions earlier today, 4-2, in a game resumed from last evening after weather/darkness halted it in the fourth inning.
Salve Regina's rally started with Romanowski slamming the door on the three-run outburst by the hosts in the top of the first. Third baseman
Wil McCarthy led off the second with a walk and designated hitter
Matt Stokes reached on a fielder's choice.
Tyler Petrosino and
Shea Donovan followed with walks to load the bases before
Grady Schopps' RBI groundout to second got the Seahawks on the board.
Leading off the fourth, Lucas Floyd got the first Lion hit off Romanowski, a double to right center (just the fifth extra-base hit allowed by Romo all season - only five doubles). After a fly out to
Shane Williams in right (not deep enough for Floyd to tag), Tim Haftl reached on a fielder's choice grounder to Schopps at short, who was unsuccessful in getting the lead runner. Drew Sassaman squeezed a bunt down the first base line and reached safely with an RBI single that scored Floyd for a 4-1 advantage.
In the Seahawk fifth, Schopps started a four-run rally with a single to center field.
Brandon Grover reached safely on a grounder to first before
Christian Homa had an RBI single up the middle to score Schopps and move Grover to third. Williams singled to left field to bring the Seahawks within a run when Grover crossed the plate. McCarthy reached on a fielder's choice before Williams stole third and Stokes dumped a two-run double to right field as Salve Regina took its first lead, 5-4.
With two outs in the sixth, Grover added his second homer in two days, and fourth of the season, for a 6-4 Seahawk lead.
HIGHLIGHTS ON X
Salve Regina benefited from two Penn State miscues, as well as singles from Williams and McCarthy, to score an unearned run in the seventh. Despite hitting two Lions with pitches in the seventh, Romanowski did not allow a hit after the sixth. He faced just three batters in each of the fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth frames. Romo gave up hits in the fifth and sixth, but a double-play grounder and a Williams to Schopps strike from right field erased those base runners, respectively.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Salve Regina 7, Penn St. Harrisburg 4
Records: Salve Regina (34-7), Penn St. Harrisburg (34-12-1)
History:Â Salve Regina met a team from Penn St. Harrisburg for the first time ever. The Seahawks have reached the regional championship round for the fourth straight year and third straight season with no losses.
SUMMARY
- T1 - Demetre Koutras III reached first on a throwing error by p, bunt, SAC, advanced to second; Brendan Henn advanced to third; Blaine Waltimyer scored. Alexander Ruiz singled to right center, advanced to second on the throw, 2 RBI; D. Koutras scored, unearned; B. Henn scored. | LIONS 3, SEAHAWKS 0
- B2 - Grady Schopps grounded out to 2b, RBI; Shea Donovan advanced to second; Tyler Petrosino advanced to third; Matt Stokes scored. | LIONS 3, SEAHAWKS 1
- T4 - Drew Sassaman singled down the rf line, bunt, RBI; Tim Haftl advanced to second; Lucas Floyd scored. | LIONS 4, SEAHAWKS 1
- B5 - Christian Homa singled up the middle, RBI; Brandon Grover advanced to third; Grady Schopps scored. Shane Williams singled to left field, RBI; C. Homa advanced to second; B. Grover scored.
- Matt Stokes doubled to right field, 2 RBI; Wil McCarthy scored; S. Williams scored. | SEAHAWKS 5, LIONS 4
- B6 - Brandon Grover homered to left field, RBI. | SEAHAWKS 6, LIONS 4
- B7 - Matthew Neal reached on a fielder's choice; Wil McCarthy advanced to second; Shane Williams advanced to third; Evan O'Rourke scored on a throwing error by 3b, unearned. | SEAHAWKS 7, LIONS 4
POST GAME INTERVIEW - Brandon Grover, Nolan Romanowski, Eric Cirella '05
NOTEWORTHY
- Nolan Romanowski (W, 5-0) has now pitched 10 innings in the two games with three strikeouts and just four hits and one earned run against.
- Brandon Grover went 3-for-5 with two runs scored including a home run, his fourth of the season and second of the weekend.
- The Seahawks win their 19th consecutive game to extend their program record. The 2023 squad had won 17 straight and also recorded a 25-game unbeaten string (seven straight wins preceded a tie, and then 17 more wins in a row).
- Romanowski retired the first eight Lions he faced before walking Alexander Ruiz with two outs in the third. Lucas Floyd got the first hit off the freshman reliever, a lead off double in the fourth.
- Despite hitting two Lions with pitches in the seventh, Romanowski did not allow a hit after the sixth. He faced just three batters in each of the fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth frames.
- Romo gave up hits in the fifth and sixth, but a double-play grounder (Schopps to Homa to Petrosino) and a Williams to Schopps strike from right field erased those base runners, respectively.
- Grover and Shane Williams both finished with three hits apiece.
- Matt Stokes stroked a two-out, two-run double for the go-ahead RBI.
ON DECK
Salve Regina will play the winner of today's Penn St. Harrisburg/TCNJ elimination game on Sunday morning with an 11:00 a.m. first pitch at Nittany Field.
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