Battle Creek, MI - They say turnabout is fair play.

Three years ago, Montclair State was leading Aurora College 6-1 in the eighth inning befoe the skies over Michigan opened and rain suspended the game until the next day. Aurora, taking advantage, scored six run in that resumed eighth inning 16 hours later and shocked the Red Hawks with a 7-6 victory during the opening round of the 1990 World Series.

Last night, Montclair State was on the losing end of a rain-suspended game, trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, when again, the skies opened and the games was postponed and scheduled to resume at the point of interruption today.

That suspended game began this afternoon at Noon, and Montclair State reversed the fate and rallied to grab at 6-2 victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Game #11 of the 1993 NCAA Division III World Series at C.O. Brown Stadium. The win assures MSC a ticket to the championship round which begins tomorrow at 3:30 pm. Montclair is the only team left in the tournament with a loss at 3-0.

And win No. 3 was not without excitement.

After giving up two quick runs in the first two innings, reliever CHRIS RAMPONE came in relief of starter T.J. COSTELLO, who was ineffective. Rampone induced a pop-up, and then a double-play ball to keep the deficit at 2-0, and then resumed the suspended game this afternoon by retiring the first nine batters he faced.

Meanwhile, MSC cut the lead in half when sophomore RALPH YEZZA lined a two-out double to right center for an RBI and a 2-1 Oshkosh lead in the fourth. Rampone continued to get Titan batters out, giving up just two hits through the seventh inning, before the Red Hawks finally got to Oshkosh starter Tom Petri.

In that inning, with one out, freshman pinch-hitter DAN MASSARO got the rally going with a single to right, his fourth pinch-hit single in his last five appearances. A fly ball followed for the second out, and then TONY MARTINEZ walked on four pitches followed by a walk to JOE CRITELLI on a full count to load the bases. With pinch-hitter CHRIS ROOF at the plate, Petri attempted a fake-to-third-throw-to-first pick-off, except his thrown was hard in the dirst and got by first baseman Craig Leider. Massaro scored the tying run from third base, and Martines, never stopping, roared all the way around from second t give MSC a 3-2 lead.

Roof followed the excitement with a base hit to right field to score Critelli for a 4-2 advantage, and MSC scored two more times in the eighth to seal the game.

Reliever FRANK DIPPOLD came on to start the eighth inning, and after a leadoff single, induced the No. 5 batter Leider, to line back to the mound. Dippold snared the ball, threw to first for the double play, snuffing the last Titan threat  of the game. The senior retired the next four batters, striking out two.

"Winning this Game 11 is the key," said head coach Norm Schoenig. "It was the biggest game I have even been involved with as a coach. The consequences were immense. Give outstanding credit to Rampone for holding them down, and the bench guys, Massaro and Roof who came through with two pinch-hit singles that were very big. These guys have not given up all year."

Martinez, who scored from second with the go-ahead run, said he got a bit confused on the signs from third base coach Rich O'Connor, so he just went ahead and tried to score "He wanted me to go, but I thought I saw a stop sign," said the junior shortstop. "I took a brief pause, then went as hard as I could. Fortunately I was safe."

Dippold now has five consecutive saves in five opportunities in the post-season, giving him nine on the year to go along with a 6-4 record. It was his second save of the World Series. Rampone improved his record to 8-0 with the win in relief.