May 23, 2009 -- The #3 Emporia State Hornets got a strong defensive effort and pieced together three runs to earn a 3-0 win over Grand Valley State in the first round of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. Both teams got strong efforts from their starting pitchers with both starters making into the seventh inning.

ESU got on the board when Jacob White hit his first career home run over the left field fence with two outs in the fifth inning. The Hornets scratched across another run in the seventh when they got a sacrifice fly from Andy Cotton. They got their final run in the ninth inning when Anthony Dreiling hit a single to left field.

The Hornets turned three double plays in the game. White turned in what may have been the defensive play of the day in the second inning after a leadoff walk gave GVSU a runner on first. White dove for a ground ball up the middle and underhanded the ball to short for a 4-6-3 double play.

White finished the game three for three with one run scored and one RBI. Mike Sharp went two for four with a runs scored while Anthony Dreiling went one for three with an RBI.

On the mound Colby Killian scattered three hits over 7.0 innings to pick up his eighth win of the season. It was his third combined shutout of the season and the second in NCAA Tournament play. Dominik King pitched a scoreless eighth and Diego Soto came on to pitch the ninth and earn his 11th save of the season and move into second place on the ESU single season list.

ESU will now face Mesa State on Monday, May 25 at 4 p.m. (CDT) in Cary, N.C. in a winner's bracket game.

Notes:
ESU kept hitting well with two outs as two of their runs came with two outs.
White now has seven multi hit games on the season.
This is ESU's first win in the NCAA Division II Championship Series.
Killian got 17 ground ball outs and forced three inning ending double plays.
This marked the first time Grand Valley has been shut out since March 18, 2008.