APPLETON, Wis. — Junior Mark Dominik, the team’s No. 4 starter, pitched six innings and kept the St. Thomas baseball team in the game before sophomore Steve Maher earned the save despite a shaky ninth inning of a 7-6 victory Tuesday over SUNY-Cortland in the NCAA Division III World Series.

The Tommies, with one loss in the double-elimination tournament, advanced to the championship round. St. Thomas will play Marietta at 11 a.m. Wednesday. If the Tommies win that game, they will face Wheaton in the national championship game at 2:30 p.m.

Maher came on with two outs in the eighth and with the fourth-ranked Tommies (41-8) nursing a 6-4 lead. He gave up two runs in the ninth but was saved by a double play. Fresh off three days rest after the first-round win over Christopher Newport, Maher fanned clean-up hitter Michael LaTempa to end the game and the Red Dragons’ season.

“Steve got it done in the end, and that’s what we needed from him,” coach Chris Olean said.

Dominik got his third win in four starts this season. He said he was content with his strong play in the elimination game.

“I did well enough to get us in position to win,” Dominik said.

Olean said Dominik has settled into the No. 4 spot for the Tommies and has done “a real nice job there.”

“He probably has better stuff than most No. 4s,” Olean said. “We look for big things from him moving forward.”

The Tommies will be playing for their second national title in four years. The team won the championship in 2009 and 2001, and it finished second in 1999 and 2000.

Olean said the key to winning the championship will be hitting.

“I would be surprised if we saw a dominant pitching performance on the way out,” Olean said. “If we keep hitting, we have some arms we can bring back that I feel pretty good about.”

The Tommies scored the eventual go-ahead run in the eighth inning on senior third baseman Charles Bruchu’s fielder’s choice that sent home junior shortstop Jon Kinsel. Kinsel led off the inning with a single and advanced on freshman outfielder Jack Hogan’s single.

Hogan was strong again at the plate with three hits, one RBI and one run scored on the day.

St. Thomas jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after two innings. Hogan doubled down the left field line and advanced to third on sophomore outfielder Tim Kuzniar’s fly out. Hogan scored the first Tommie run off Red Dragon starting pitcher John Molloy. The Tommies scored their second run when sophomore second baseman Sam Miller’s right-field single sent senior first baseman Dan Reichert home.

SUNY-Cortland (41-9-1) rallied and went up 4-2 in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back triples by sophomore first baseman Max Rosing and LaTempa lifted the Red Dragons, who scored four runs on four hits in the inning.

Olean said his dugout wasn’t concerned with the early Cortland comeback.

“Anytime there are runs that early, you’ve got some time to come back,” Olean said.

And the Tommies bounced back quickly, tying the score in the bottom of the inning. Junior designated hitter Dylan Thomas hit a sacrifice fly that scored Kuzniar, and senior outfielder Nick Reichert doubled down the left field line, sending Bruchu home for the fourth run.

St. Thomas regained the lead in the sixth by tacking on runs from Novak and Kinsel.

Sophomore lefty Mark Ulrich relieved Dominik in the seventh and worked through 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

With Maher on the mound, the Tommie infield stepped up with key plays, including the clutch double play in the ninth. Rosing grounded to Kinsel, who made a nice turn to Novak, who threw to Reichert at first.

Bruchu called it a “great play.”

“Our infield definitely brought our ‘A’ game,” he said.

With two games — at most — left in the season, Olean’s starting pitcher against No. 1-ranked Marietta is to be determined.

“We have some good options,” Olean said. “Steve [Maher] is definitely a candidate.”

Most important, the Tommies have advanced to the final day of the World Series, and Olean likes his team’s odds.

“We made it to the final day, so we’re in good shape,” Olean said. The Tommies defeated Marietta, 3-1, in the second round.

Hayley Schnell can be reached at schn3912@stthomas.edu.