No. 13 College of DuPage wasted little time establishing itself as a force in its Great Lakes District play Friday afternoon against Terra State (Ohio), and played in Sandusky, Ohio.
 
The Chaps defeated the Titans 16-0 in five innings in the opener, and then for good measure, took the title with an equally impressive 13-2 win and qualify them for next week's NJCAA Division III Baseball Championship on May 25-30 in Auburn, N.Y.
 
The trip to New York is the first time since 1993 that the Chaparrals have played in the D3 College World Series. It will mark their third trip to the championship — finishing second in 1992 and fourth in 1993.
 
That the Chaps (31-16 overall) have won their last 15 games and 24 of their last 27 wasn't lost on coach Matt Gould.
 
"When we were 7-13, the big speech to the boys was that not one of us on the coaching staff wavered in our belief on where we wanted to go with this team,'' he said. "The guys have never stopped believing in each other. If you don't have that, it doesn't matter how good you are.
 
"Every single one of us is so excited that we get to continue our season and playing for a national championship is unbelievable. It doesn't get any better than that.''

The Chaps wasted little time in the opener, scoring three runs in the top of the first, added four in the second, five in the third and four in the fourth.

And little changed in the nightcap as the Chaps damaged Terra's postseason hopes by taking a 5-0 through four innings.

"We demoralized them when we got going,'' Gould said. "I think it was soul-crushing for them early when we got rolling, and then Eddie (Scaccia) threw so hard in the second game. We didn't give them anything all day.''

The NJCAA will announce its eight-team bracket Tuesday.
 
Game 1: Chaparrals 16, Terra State 0 5 innings

• The 13^th-ranked Chaps struck early, scoring three runs in the top of the first on three hits
• Michael Morgan capped the inning with a two-out, two-run single
• The Chaps continued the onslaught, scoring four runs on four hits in the second
• Jack Wade led the inning with a two-run triple, scoring Filip Milatovic (double) and Vinny Spotofora (walk)
• The Chaps sent 11 to the plate in the third, scoring five runs on just two hits
• Spotofora delivered the big hit, a two-out, three-run single
• Joe Pender went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI
• Wade drove in a team-high four runs on a 2-for-2 effort
• Collecting two hits were: Quinn Flanagan, Mark Mennecke, and Morgan
• RHP A.J. McEneany was outstanding, delivering a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts, issuing just one walk and one hit batter

Game 2: Chaparrals 13, Terra State 2

• Leading 2-0 after two innings, Wade crushed a two-run homer in the third and gave COD a 4-0 lead
• Jake Pauley led off the fourth with a solo homer
• COD, leading 5-1 entering its half of the fifth, scored three runs thanks to an RBI-single from Flanagan that scored Wade, and runs scored on a wild pitch that brought in Hudson Williams and when Mennecke reached on an error, scoring Flanagan
• COD sent 10 to the plate in the eighth, scoring five runs on just three hits
• Mennecke had an RBI ground-out, and Morgan keyed a two-run single
• RHP Eddie Scaccia gave COD 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven, walking three
• Reliever Mike Biscan threw one-hit relief, giving up a run and issuing a strikeout
• Milatovic, Wade and Morgan each had three hits
• Pauley led in RBI with three, and Wade and Morgan each had two RBI