HAMPTON, Va. - Illinois Tech punched their ticket to the semi-final game of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series this afternoon as they defeated The Apprentice School 3-1. The Scarlet Hawks will continue on in the winner's bracket as the tournament host Builders head to the secondary bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
Kyle Bumpass, a 2015 USCAA honorable mention All-American, pitched a lights out game for the Hawks, striking out 9 batters and not giving up any earned runs. The sophomore went 6 innings before giving way to closer Michael Malfeo. Malfeo, a 1st Team USCAA All-American, closed out the game in style with 2 strikeouts and a fly out.
Malfeo also contributed hugely on the offensive side, tying a USCAA tournament record with 3 doubles on the day. Shane Pung added two hits of his own; a single in the 2nd and a double in the 4th.
The Hawks got out to an early lead as another 1st Team All-American, Brian Colon-Rodriguez, singled and recorded the two-out RBI bringing Michael Malfeo in for the 1-0 lead. After a scoreless 2nd, Malfeo hit one of his doubles in the 3rd inning to record another two-out RBI, scoring Ryan Fitzpatrick from 2nd base. Colon then stepped up to bring Malfeo in once again with another single taking the lead to 3-0.
Despite giving up a run in the 6th inning, the Hawks didn't buckle and were able to secure their 2nd win of the national tournament 3-1. Next up for top-seeded Illinois Tech is a 2pm game on Friday, May 15th against the winner of #3 Tennessee Temple University vs. #2 Penn State Greater Allegeheny.