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 Silkworms, Manhattan upset #1 seed Nebraskaby Don Leypoldt Abraham Lincoln was the epitome of the man who came from nowhere to achieve greatness. It is appropriate today that in Lincoln, Nebraska, four Manchester Silkworms and their Manhattan College teammates came from nowhere to engineer a stunning upset in the College World Series. The 4th seeded Jaspers, who were given virtually no chance to advance, shocked the baseball world by upsetting the sixth ranked, heavily favored host Nebraska Cornhuskers 4 to 1 this afternoon. And they did it with Worms a plenty. Chris Cody took the post for the MAAC Champion Jaspers. The lefty had already had a noteworthy week; the 2003 Silkworm had parlayed his 11-2 record and stellar 1.45 ERA into second team Louisville Slugger All-American honors. He had also been named the MAAC Conference Pitcher of the Year. The accolades surprised no one who follows the Silkworms. Cody went 4-2, with an incredible 0.91 ERA in his summer at Manchester. The big slugger for Manhattan was their DH, John Fitzpatrick. "Fitz" set single season records at Manchester last summer for home runs (5), RBIs (29) and slugging percentage (.537). He capped his Silkworm career by winning the NECBL's Home Run Derby. Fitzpatrick carried that torrid summer into his senior year at Manhattan, where he hit .324, slugged 16 homers and 64 RBIs. In addition to being named first team all-conference for the fourth time, Fitzpatrick set the school's single season and career home run marks. The Jaspers had their work cut out for them however, as they faced Husker ace Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain is certain to be a first round pick in next week's major league draft. But it didn't take long for the NECBL to show its mettle. On the first pitch of the second inning, Manhattan first baseman and NECBL alumnus Matt Rizzotti blasted a home run. One pitch later, Fitzpatrick followed with a solo homer- his 17th of the year. The Jaspers quickly staked Cody to a 2-0 lead. Cody was brilliant. He cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit. Nebraska finally got to him in the fourth frame when catcher Jeff Christy's sacrifice fly scored first baseman Brandon Buckman. For the next three innings, the crafty Cody used his outstanding location to engage in a fierce pitcher's duel with Chamberlain, one of the nation's best collegiate hurlers. Cody whiffed three Huskers over the next three frames. He did run into some trouble in the sixth, when outfielder Andrew Brown belted a one out triple. But the calm Cody forced DH Andy Gerch to ground out, and then fanned Christy to ice the rally. The Jaspers knocked Chamberlain out of the box in the eighth. A balk scored left fielder Eric Nieto, who led off the inning with a single. Rizzotti then singled in center fielder Mike Garcia, who tallied a safety two batters after Nieto. Cody now had a 3-run lead. Despite surrendering a leadoff double to shortstop Ryan Wehrle in the eighth, Cody forced a line out, a ground out, and then struck out Gerch to strand the runner at third. Nebraska wouldn't die easily. The Huskers rapped two singles in the ninth to load the bases- one of them coming with two outs. But Cody retired pinch hitter Luke Gorsett to ice the win for the Jaspers. Cody went the distance- striking out seven, walking just one and scattering eight hits in a gem. Manhattan will now face the winner of tonight's Miami- San Francisco game. The Jaspers have several other connections to the Silkworms. Freshman lefty Mike Gazzola and junior RHP Jesse Darcy are coming to Manchester this summer. Last summer, Darcy posted a 1-1 record and a 2.96 ERA for the Silkworms. Jesse Darcy's brother Ryan pitched for the Silkworms in 2000 and 2001, and now serves as the pitching coach for Manhattan. Ryan is also a Jasper alumnus. Lastly Josh Santerre, a senior at Manhattan, compiled a 4.24 ERA and whiffed 25 in 23+ innings as a 2003 Silkworm teammate of Cody's The 2006 Silkworms open their 42 game schedule on this Friday, June 9th. They host the defending Northern Division champion Keene Swamp Bats at 7:00 in Manchester's Northwest Park. For more information, log on to www.manchestersilkworms.org |