Rarely does a baseball player singlehandedly dominate a game, but UW-Stevens Point's Jordan Zimmermann (Auburndale/Auburndale) came about as close as it gets in Friday's opener at the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton.

The junior pitched the first one-hitter at the World Series since 1984 and also went three-for-three, accounting for both of the team's runs in a 2-0 opening round victory over Emory (Ga.). It marked the second straight shutout for the Pointers, who are now 33-15 and face Carthage on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The two schools also played in the second round in 1997 and it is the first time two Wisconsin teams have faced in the eight years the World Series has been played in Appleton. Emory fell to 39-9 and was shutout for the first time in seven years.

Zimmermann, who tied a single-season school record for wins by improving to 10-0, hit the first batter of the game on the opening pitch, but was nearly flawless from that point. He finished with 10 strikeouts and two walks, allowing only a leadoff single to Frank Pfister in the fifth on a sharp ground ball between third base and shortstop.

“To sum up this game, he was a star out there today,” Emory coach Mike Twardowski said of Zimmermann, who had the first one-hitter in World Series play since Dan Olsson of Montclair State (N.J.) beat Marietta (Ohio) on May 31, 1984.

Emory had one runner reach second base the entire game with its only scoring threat in the eighth. Zimmermann hit Brandon Custer to open the inning and, after a strikeout, walked pinch hitter Bo Schill to put runners at first and second. He promptly picked Schill off first base and got Tyler Short to hit a deep fly ball to left field that Ryan Byrnes (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam) caught along the left field foul fence to end the inning.

Since allowing a home run with two outs in the fourth inning of the Pointers' regional opener against St. Scholastica last week, Zimmermann has been nearly untouchable. Over the last 19 and two-thirds innings, he has 26 strikeouts while surrendering just three hits, no runs, two walks and four hit batters.

“In championship baseball it comes down to quality pitching,” UW-Stevens Point coach Pat Bloom said. “It was just a masterful performance. He's had a lot of them for us, but I can remember few as impressive or complete as this one.”

The Pointers scored in the first inning as Brad Archambeau (Watertown/Watertown) reached on an error to open the game and scored when Zimmermann launched a double off the fence in left center.

“I was just looking for ball over the middle of the plate,” Zimmermann said. “He was throwing a lot of sliders and when I got down two balls, I figured I would get one to hit and he left one out over the middle.”

In the fourth, Zimmermann led off the inning with a single and the Pointers loaded the bases with none out before Byrnes hit a one-out sacrifice fly. UW-Stevens Point also loaded the bases after two outs in the fifth as Zimmermann hit another double, but the Pointers stranded all three runners and finished with 10 left on base for the game.

Emory's Jason Glushon pitched a complete game and scattered eight hits with five strikeouts while falling to 12-2 for the season.