West Chester Forces Winner-Take-All Game Three in NCAA Division II National Championship Series
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
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0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
CARY, N.C. — No. 1 West Chester University evened the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championship Series on Friday evening, defeating No. 2 University of Tampa 12-4 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
The loss snapped Tampa's 11-game NCAA Tournament winning streak and moved the Spartans to 50-9 overall. The best-of-three series is now tied 1-1, setting up a winner-take-all championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. in Cary.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: No. 1 West Chester 12, No. 2 Tampa 4
Records: Tampa (50-9), West Chester (48-11)
Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex | Cary, N.C.
Attendance: 1,221
HOW IT HAPPENED
West Chester struck first with a run in the opening inning before Tampa answered in the third.
Brayden Woodburn and Jake Books collected consecutive hits to open the inning, and Books launched a three-run home run to right field, giving the Spartans a 3-1 advantage.
The Golden Rams responded immediately, scoring a run in the top of the third before Tampa added another run in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 4-2.
West Chester chipped away with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead before adding an insurance run in the seventh inning. The Golden Rams then broke the game open with a four-run eighth inning and added two more runs in the ninth to force a deciding game three.
ON THE MOUND
SSC Pitcher of the Year B.J. Bailey made the start for Tampa and battled through 5.0 innings, allowing four runs while striking out four.
Josiah Velazquez worked in relief, while Tobin Moran also saw action out of the bullpen as West Chester gradually pulled away in the late innings.
West Chester starter Kyle Lazer went the distance, throwing a complete game while allowing four runs on six hits and striking out 11.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jake Books: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, walk, run scored — accounted for three of Tampa's four runs.
Brayden Woodburn: 2-for-5, RBI, run scored — recorded Tampa's lone multi-hit game and continued his strong championship series.
Luke Fikar: 1-for-3, run scored — crossed the plate during Tampa's third-inning rally.
Jhoander Irigoyen: run scored and threw out two attempted base stealers behind the plate.
B.J. Bailey: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 K.
NOTES
Tampa remains one victory away from securing an NCAA Division II-record 11th national championship and becoming the first program in division history to win three consecutive national titles.
The Spartans entered Friday following a 7-4 extra-inning victory in game one and were seeking to clinch the championship in two games.
Tampa reached the 50-win mark for the third consecutive season and the sixth time under head coach Joe Urso with Thursday's victory. The Spartans are the first team in the nation to reach 50 wins in 2026.
West Chester improved to 48-11 and forced the first winner-take-all national championship game in Cary since Tampa's title-clinching victory over Central Missouri in 2025.
UP NEXT
The 2026 NCAA Division II National Championship Series will be decided Saturday at 3 p.m. when No. 2 Tampa and No. 1 West Chester meet in a winner-take-all game three at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
The Spartans will seek their NCAA Division II-record 11th national championship, while West Chester will pursue its third national title and first since 2017.