Results
from the third day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in
Lewiston, ID.
Southeastern 12, U. of the Cumberlands 5 (U. of the Cumberlands
eliminated). The Fire led all the way, but it was close – 7-5
after six innings – until the Fire put it away with five runs in
the bottom of the eighth, including two-RBI singles by Alfonso
Villalobos and Chayce Bryant. Tommy Davis went 3-for-4 with two
doubles for the Fire. Charlie Muñiz and Ben Snapp hit home runs for
the Patriots. Starter Robb Adams got the win, pitched 5 1/3 innings,
allowed four runs on five hits, struck out three. Jake Cohen, who
allowed one hit over the final three innings, got a save. Starter
Kailen Hamson got the loss. Box
score
J.J. Cruz – photo by Liza Rosales
Hope International 12, Indiana Southeast 1 (Indiana Southeast
eliminated). J.J. Cruz reached base every time he came to bat;
4-for-4 with two home runs, and a walk. David Rivera also hit two
home runs, and Alex Moreno hit a home run. Trey Seeley pitched eight
innings, allowed zero runs on three hits, struck out 11, threw
119 pitches. Box
score
Reinhardt 30, Arizona Christian 13. The Eagles led 9-3
after two innings, 16-6 after three innings, and 22-8 after four
innings. Tucker Zdunich finished 6-for-7 with three home runs, a
triple, and nine RBI. The Firestorm were charged with six errors. Ben
Medley got the win, despite allowing 13 runs on 16 hits. Other than
that, the less said about this one, the better. Box
score
Ajay Sczepkowski – photo by Tom Grason
Georgia Gwinnett 12, Tennessee Wesleyan 6. The Bulldogs
were in control of this game for six innings. They scored four runs
in the bottom of the first in a two-RBI single by Evan Magill, and
another two-RBI single by Daniel Stewart. The second run batted in by
Stewart was scored by Magill, and he made a face-down slide at home
that was an artistic masterpiece. Bulldog starter Sam Rochard held
the Grizzlies to three runs (one of them unearned) on six hits over
the first six innings, struck out nine. The first batter he faced in
the seventh inning, Cohen Wilbanks, bunted, and Stewart, the Grizzly
catcher, made a great play to pick up the ball and throw it to first
in time for the out. Rochard walked the next batter, and was relieved
by Daniel Davila after throwing 104 pitches. Davila walked the first
batter he faced. The next batter, Ajay Sczepkowski, hit a ball into
the left field bleachers that went a long way, and the Grizzlies
suddenly led 6-4. He came up again in the eighth inning, and hit a
two-run home run over the center field fence for the winning run, and
again, the ball went a long way. Caden Smith added a two-run home run
to right field in the ninth inning that was also a no-doubter.
Ben Harris went the distance for the Grizzlies, allowed four
earned runs on nine hits (the Bulldogs were charged with four
errors), struck out eight, threw 139 pitches. Sczepkowski
finished 3-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored. Jack Stevens
went 2-for-4 with a double for the Bulldogs. Attendance: 1,517. Box
score
NAIA release: Records
Fall During Day Three of 2024 Avista NAIA World Series
Schedule for Tuesday:
11:05 AM: Hope International vs. Arizona Christian (loser
out)
3:05 PM: Southeastern vs. Tennessee Wesleyan
6:35 PM:
Reinhardt vs. Georgia Gwinnett
Video
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