COLLEGE BASEBALL / DAILY PLAYOFF REPORT : CAL LUTHERAN : Dempsey Rebounds With Shutout

Steve Dempsey put Cal Lutheran in the NCAA Division III baseball championship game with a seven-hit shutout of Methodist (N.C.) College in the tournament semifinals. Dempsey, a senior from L.A. Lutheran High, punctuated the 2-0 win by striking out the side in the ninth inning.

“The adrenaline was really pumping then,” Dempsey said. “I couldn’t let it come so far and not finish it. I couldn’t let it get away.”

The victory was Dempsey’s first since April 25. His performance in the tournament opener Thursday was below expectations. He lasted 4 1/3 innings and gave up four hits and two runs.

“I just wanted to go out ready,” said Dempsey, a first-team All-American. “I knew after my last performance that I had one good performance left and it turned out to be a great performance. I had all four of my pitches and (catcher) Eddie (Lample) called a great game.”

Demspey, who threw a fastball, curve, sinker and split-finger fastball, struck out a career-high 10, the most by any pitcher in this year’s tournament. “I’m surprised,” Dempsey said. “I’m not usually a strikeout pitcher, I’m a ground ball pitcher. Today, I was hitting my spots.”

Lample preserved the shutout with a plate-blocking performance that would make Mike Scioscia proud.

With two out in the fifth inning, Joe Myrtle hit a blooper just inside the foul line in shallow right field.

Chris Horton tried to score from second and was well ahead of the throw by first baseman Jay Lucas. But Horton never made it to the plate. Lample positioned himself well up the third base line, sealed off Horton, and put the tag on.

Except for the first game, the Kingsmen played in sub-45-degree temperatures throughout the tournament.

Dempsey put heat packs in his pockets to keep his hands warm between pitches and Tim Wimbish threw on the side during his start because his teammates were up at bat one inning for 25 minutes.

But the cold did not affect Cal Lutheran reliever Tim Barber, who threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-2 second-round loss to Methodist.

“I love this weather,” said Barber, a sophomore from Loveland, Colo. “Being from Colorado, I used to pitch in it all the time.”

Cal Lutheran Coach Rich Hill also adjusted to the weather--to the point where he forgot about it.

In praising Wimbish’s winning effort over Methodist on Monday, he said: “Tim doesn’t get as much recognition when you have two All-Americans (Dempsey and Pat Norville) and (Mike) Winslow is 8-1. I’m just glad to see Tim get his day in the sun.”

When he was reminded that it was cloudy and cold, Hill said: “Or the freezing cold.”