CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Results: No. 1 Seed UNCW Wins Tournament, NCAA Regionals Bid

The 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament, also known as the Virginia 529 CAA Baseball Championship, has wrapped up, and University of North Carolina Wilmington has taken the win and the automatic bid for the NCAA Baseball Regionals. The number one seed went 2-1 in the tournament, winning their way directly to the championship game before suffering an upset from Delaware to force a final game. They bounced right back, beating Delaware 10-8 in the final game to take the Championship.

Rain made some trouble in the early part of the tournament, including a rain delay making for a seven hour opening game between VCU and George Mason. Towson and Delaware got a long game the old fashioned way, with Delaware tying the game in the eighth inning and finally winning in 12. There weren't many real upsets in the tournament, with six seed Towson's 16-8 win to eliminate four seed George Mason being the biggest. UNCW entered the tournament as the number one seed and exited with the Championship, their only hiccup the 11-9 loss to Delaware that they made up for in the final game.

Complete Tournament Results:

Game 1) #5 VCU 11, #4 George Mason 7
Game 2) #3 Delaware 8 #6 Towson 7 (12)
Game 3) #6 Towson 16, #4 George Mason 8
Game 4) #1 UNCW 8, #5 VCU 5
Game 5) #3 Delaware 11, #2 Hofstra 3
Game 6) #5 VCU 14, #6 Towson 9
Game 7) #1 UNCW 3, #3 Delaware 2
Game 8) #2 Hofstra 4, #5 VCU 2
Game 9) #3 Delaware 12 #2 Hofstra 9
Game 10) #3 Delaware 11, #1 UNCW 9
Game 11) #1 UNCW 10, #3 Delaware 8

SB Nation DC is your source for DC metro area sports news and analysis.

2012 CAA Baseball Tournament: UNC-Wilmington Knocks Off Delaware 10-8

UNC-Wilmington entered the CAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 1 seed. It left, unsurprisingly, as the tourney champs, defeating No. 3-seeded Delaware on Saturday night 10-8 at James Madison University, securing a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Seahawks had hoped to eliminate Delaware earlier Saturday, but lost 11-9, which forced a winner-take-all game later in the double-elimination tournament. With the win, they now advance to the postseason for the first time since 2008 and just the fifth time in program history.

And thank the bats for that. UNC-Wilmington tallied 16 hits en route to its narrow two-run win. With the game tied at eight heading into the top of the ninth inning -- Delaware also finished with 12 hits and eight runs -- Hunter Ridge scored off a double from Thomas Pope, to give the Seahawks the lead. Moments later, Pope would score following a sacrifice fly Jake Koenig.

In the bottom half of the ninth, reliever Kelly Secrest came in, retiring the Blue Hens and ending the contest to notch the save and preserve the "W."

Read more news, updates and analysis on the CAA baseball tournament at SB Nation DC and be sure to visit our StoryStream here.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012: Delaware Forces Winner-Take-All Game With 11-9 Win

The Delaware Blue Hens forced a second and title-deciding game on Saturday in the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament, as they defeated the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks 11-9 Saturday afternoon.

Delaware's win left both teams with one loss in the double elimination tournament.

The Blue Hens took control of the game after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning and three more in the top of the sixth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 10-4 lead. The 1-4 hitters for Delaware (D.J. Long, Nick Ferdinand, Jimmy Yezzo, and Alex Maruri) combined to go 11-for-19 with 9 RBIs. Yezzo had the big blow: a sixth-inning grand slam that made the score 10-4.

UNC-Wilmington had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Andrew Cain struck out swinging to end the game and force a winner-takes-title showdown.

Read more news, updates and analysis on the CAA baseball tournament at SB Nation DCand be sure to visit our StoryStream here.

CAA Baseball Tournament Championship: UNC-Wilmington Vs. Delaware Preview

Top-seed UNC-Wilmington and No.3-seed Delaware will match up in the CAA baseball tournament championship on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

UNC-Wilmington advanced to the championship game after wins over VCU on Thursday, and a 3-2 victory against Delaware on Friday. Delaware needed two wins against Hofstra and one over Towson to advance to Saturday's championship game.

For the Seahawks (37-20), this is the program's fifth appearance in the championship game, which would give UNC-Wilmington the conference's automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. The Seahawks can thank pitcher Matt Batts for his strong outing on the pitcher's mound Friday, when he tossed a complete game against Delaware and struck out a career-high 11 batters.

The CAA tournament is being held at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va., home of James Madison University.

Read more news, updates and analysis on the CAA baseball tournament at SB Nation DC and be sure to visit our StoryStream here.

Delaware Vs. Hofstra, 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament: Blue Hens Advance With 10-Run Rally In 7th Inning

The Delaware Blue Hens advanced to the CAA Championship on Friday night with a thrilling 12-9 win over Hofstra. Delaware trailed by as many as five runs before the offense absolutely exploded in the seventh inning to hang a 10-spot on Hofstra. Delaware scored 11 runs against Hofstra on Thursday night, and the offense came through when they needed it again during the elimination matchup Friday.

Jimmy Yezzo had a career night at the plate for Delaware, driving in four runs in a three-hit night. Yezzo led off the game for Delaware with a two-run shot to open the scoring in the top of the first. He also had two hits and two RBIs during the interminable 7th-inning rally, getting it all started with an RBI double. Remarkably, the Blue Hens scored all ten runs without going deep.

The title game is now set, and Delaware will face No. 1 seed UNC-Wilmington. The Blue Hens dropped the first game of day on Friday to Wilmington, so they will need to beat the Seahawks twice on Saturday to capture the title.

Read more news and updates on the CAA baseball tournament at SB Nation DC and our StoryStream here.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Final Score: VCU Loses To Hofstra, 4-2

VCU has been eliminated from the CAA baseball tournament after dropping a 4-2 decision to Hofstra on Friday. The win puts Hofstra in position to play in the title round on Saturday with one more victory over Delaware.

Hofstra went ahead against VCU early a pair of runs in the first inning and then one more in the third to push the score to 3-0. VCU never could match that. It was center fielder Nick Abrahamson's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning that scored the first run for VCU.

First baseman Brent Mikionis hit a solo home run to left field in the sixth inning, which was the final run scored of the game.

VCU matched Hofstra pound for pound, with the exception of one error and one extra hit by Hofstra, which separated the two teams.

Read more news and updates on the CAA baseball tournament at SB Nation DC and our StoryStream here.

2012 CAA Baseball Tournament: UNC-Wilmington Leaves It Late, Beats Delaware, 3-2

No. 1 seed UNC-Wilimington scored two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to defeat No. 3 seed Delaware in the first game of Day 3 of the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament in Harrisonburg, Va.

The Blue Hens took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th on a solo home run by Alex Maruri. But the Seahawks rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the seventh, helped by a throwing error by Delaware second baseman D.J. Long and an RBI single by Matt Campbell.

UNC-Wilmington increased their lead to 3-1 in the eighth inning on a home run by Hunter Ridge and held on despite a RBI single by Delaware's Tyler Powell in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Blue Hens lost their last chance to tie the game when pinch-runner Joe Giacchino was thrown out at third base on Powell's single.

Ryan Hartley hit a one-out double for Delaware in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Seahawks held on for the win to improve their tournament record to 2-0. Delaware will meet either VCU or Hofstra in an elimination game later Friday.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Schedule: VCU Takes On Hofstra In An Elimination Game

After dropping an 8-5 decision to No. 1 UNC Wilmington yesterday, the No. 5 VCU Rams staved off elimination from the CAA tournament with a 14-9 victory over No. 6 Towson. VCU plays No. 2 Hofstra this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in what is an elimination game for both teams.

Hofstra swept the season series between the two sides, taking all three games by a combined score of 32-13. The winner then plays the loser of today's UNCW/Delaware matchup at 7:00 p.m. tonight. The tournament is being hosted by James Madison, with all games played at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Today's full CAA schedule:

12:00 p.m.: No. 1 UNCW Vs. No. 3 Delaware

3:30 p.m.: No. 5 VCU Vs. No. 2 Hofstra

7:00 p.m.: Loser of UNCW/Delaware Vs. Winner of VCU/Hofstra

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

VCU Vs. Towson, 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament: Rams Stay Alive With 14-9 Win

After falling into an early 3-0 hole, the VCU Rams offense came alive against the Towson Tigers to move on in the 2012 CAA Tournament at JMU in Harrisonburg. The Rams had four innings in which they scored at least three runs, sending home the Tigers by a margin of 14-9.

First baseman Brent Mikionis did plenty of damage on his own, putting together a dream night at the plate. Mikionis went three for four, knocking in five runs and scoring two more. A large chunk of that came on a three-run home run in the bottom of the second which quickly brought the Rams back to even after falling behind by three. He singled home two more an inning later. The VCU offense would quiet down again until the 7th, when they put another 4-run inning together. Joey Cujas then capped off the big night at the plate by hammering a three-run homer to make it 14-9.

Towson tried to make things interesting in their last at-bat, but the deficit was simply too monumental. The Tigers scored five runs in their last at-bat to make it slightly more interesting. VCU pitcher Kyle Haynes was credited with giving up eight of the nine Towson runs, but thankfully his offense had removed all doubt by the time the avalanche came on in the 9th.

VCU will now play Hofstra on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

Hofstra Vs. Delaware, 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament: Blue Hens Roll Over Hofstra

The No. 3 seed Delaware Blue Hens rolled to victory against No. 2 seed Hofstra on Thursday afternoon in Harrisonburg. Delaware starter Eric Young went the distance, pitching nine innings while allowing just three runs. Young scattered ten hits to lead the Blue Hens to the 11-3 win over Hofstra.

Delaware's offense exploded early, putting up ten runs in the first three innings. A huge seven-run 3rd inning removed all doubt early on, and Young simply salted it away from there. Nick Ferdinand had a huge game for the Blue Hens, driving in three runs and scoring two. Tyler Powell and Alex Maruri also added two RBIs each as they simply poured it on. They move on to face No. 1 seed UNC-Wilmington on Friday at Noon ET. Hofstra will face the winner of the Towson and VCU game.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Final: Top-Seeded UNC Wilmington Tops VCU, 8-5

No. 1-seeded North Carolina Wilmington had a bye in the opening round of the CAA Baseball Tournament. But the Diamond Hawks didn't look rusty on Thursday against VCU, grabbing an early 5-1 lead through the first five innings and eventually notching the win by a final score of 8-5.

Starter Tyler McSwain, along with a three-run first inning, gave the Diamond Haws a lift. McSwain tossed 7 and one-third inning, allowing eight hits but surrendering just two runs while striking out two batters. And in the first, catcher Drew Farber doubled to left center, scoring both Thomas Pope and Andrew Cain.

The bullpen, though, would struggle, giving up four runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings.

UNC Wilmington will play the winner of Hofstra and Delaware tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Final: George Mason Eliminated By Towson, 16-8

The George Mason Patriots were knocked out of the CAA Baseball Tournament by the Towson Tigers in the first game of day two of the tournament by a score of 16-8.

George Mason starting pitcher Ryan Pfaeffle lasted only three and one-third innings, allowing seven runs, all earned, on five hits, including two doubles and four walks. Relief pitcher A.J. Johnson fared none better, lasting only two innings with five runs allowed on four hits with four walks.

Despite the struggles by the pitching staff, the offense was working quite well for George Mason. First baseman Zack Helgeson went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four runs batted in. Designated hitter Duncan Satherlie went 3-for-5 with one run scored and third baseman Blaise Fernandez went 2-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored.

Towson now moves on to play the lowest seeded loser of the two other games being played today between UNC-Wilmington vs. VCU and Hofstra vs. Delaware.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012: George Mason And Towson Kick Off Day Two

After a rain-soaked opening day, No. 4 George Mason takes on No. 6 Towson at 10:00 a.m. to open day two of CAA tournament play. George Mason dropped its opener to No. 5 VCU, while Towson also lost its first game to No. 3 Delaware, 8-7.

Towson swept the season series against George Mason, winning all three games by a combined score of 25-8 back in mid-March. The loser of this matchup will be eliminated from the tournament, while the winner will play again tonight at 8:30 p.m. against the lowest-seeded loser of the other games being played today. The tournament is being hosted by James Madison, with all games played at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Today's full slate of CAA tournament games:

10:00 a.m.: No. 4 George Mason Vs. No. 6 Towson

1:30 p.m.: No. 1 UNC Wilmington Vs. No. 5 VCU

5:00 p.m.: No. 2 Hofstra Vs. No. 3 Delaware

8:30 p.m.: Winner of George Mason/Towson Vs. Lowest-seeded loser of UNCW/VCU and Hofstra/Delaware

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow thisStoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Towson Vs. Delaware Final: Blue Hens Win

After having their opening round matchup pushed back several hours because of a rain delay, Towson and Delware finally hit the diamond to begin their game in the CAA baseball tournament. Towson scored early in the first inning, but the Blue Hens answered in the bottom leaving the game tied 1-1 early on.

After four innings, Towson held a 7-1 lead after knocking in four runs in the top of the fourth inning, but Delware answered right back with a three-run inning of their own to cut the lead to 7-4. Delware score two rans late in the eighth inning to tie the game at 7-7, eventually pushing the game into extra innings.

After 12 innings of play, Delaware came away with the 8-7 victory on pinch hitter Eric Young's walk-off bunt in the opening round of the CAA tournament.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 VCU Vs. George Mason Final: After Seven Hours, Rams Win 11-7

The matchup between VCU and George Mason in the first-round of the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament wound up spanning just over seven hours, thanks to a near five-hour rain delay beginning at 1:13 p.m. ET after lightning strikes in the area. At the time of the delay, the game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Play resumed at 6:01 p.m. ET and was kickstarted with a solo home run by Chris Cook, giving George Mason a 3-2 lead. VCU re-took the lead in the next inning after plating two runs, but George Mason tied it again in the bottom of the inning.

VCU rallied late however, putting up four runs in the top of the ninth inning to give themselves an 11-5 lead and George Mason just couldn't match the scoring, playing only two runs in the bottom of the ninth and going down in the first game 11-7.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Schedule: Rain Wreaks Havoc On Tournament's First Day

As the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament continues, the late game matchup between Delaware and Towson has been rescheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup between VCU and George Mason just resumed at 6:01 p.m. ET after a near five-hour rain delay.

Game three of the the tournament, which would pit the loser of VCU and George Mason against the loser of Delaware and Towson, has been pushed back to Thursday morning at 10 a.m. after being originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight.

The rain in the early game led to an official delay, starting at 1:13 p.m. ET. The game at the time was tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. The game resumed with a solo home run by Chris Cook to give George Mason a 3-2 lead.

For more on the 2012 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012 Schedule: George Mason Takes On VCU Wednesday At Noon

George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University kick off the the 2012 Colonial Athletic Conference tournament on Wednesday afternoon. The No. 4 seed Patriots and the No. 5 seed Rams are scheduled to play at Noon.

The loser of that game gets a double header. They will face the loser from the second game of the day between No. 3 Delaware and No. 6 Towson. The first and second seeds, UNC Wilmington and Hofstra, get a bye for the opening round, but both will be in action on Thursday.

Click through for a complete CAA baseball tournament bracket, in PDF format. Wednesday's schedule is listed below.

Noon: No. 4 George Mason Vs. No. 5 VCU

3:30 p.m.: No. 3 Delaware Vs. No. 6 Towson

7:00 p.m.: Game 1 Loser Vs. Game 2 Loser

For more on the 2o12 CAA Baseball Tournament at James Madison, be sure to follow this StoryStream here at SB Nation DC.

CAA Baseball Tournament 2012: North Carolina Wilmington Grabs Top Seed

The double-elimination tournament will be held at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.