J.J. Cruz – photo by Liza Rosales
Result from the championship game of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.
Hope International 14, Tennessee Wesleyan 6. The Royals won their first national championship in convincing fashion. The Bulldogs led 6-4 after three innings, but they didn’t score again the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the top of the first when Evan Magill hit a line drive that bounced off the leg of Royal starter Trey Seeley, and Braxton Turner came home. The next batter , Cayle Webster, hit a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the first, J.J. Cruz hit a three-run home run, his fifth of the tournament. The next batter, Alec Arnone, hit a home run, and the Royals led 4-2. The Bulldogs took a 5-4 lead in the second with a three-run home run by Jack Stevens. They added a home run by Kruise Newman in the top of the third, and led 6-4.
Alex Moreno hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. The next batter was Cruz, and he hit a double that scored Moreno and the winning run. The top of the fifth started with a walk, but Magill hit into a double play and Webster struck out to end the inning. The Royals added a run in the bottom of the fifth when Ryan Lamastra got an RBI on a Texas league single. The sixth inning started with a single by Kruise Newman. Justin Drury was brought in to relieve Seeley, and he got a strikeout, a popup, and a ground out to end the inning.
Steven Ordorica – photo by Liza Rosales
Drury gave up singles to the first two batters he faced in the top of the seventh, and was relieved by submariner Steven Ordorica. Ordorica proceeded to strike out the next three batters. The Royals then put it away with five runs in the bottom of the seventh. It started with Dean Toigo getting a hit, and Derek Sims drawing a walk. The Royals sent in a pinch hitter, Mylan Jones, to bunt them to second and third. He bunted, but the pitcher, Carter Gannaway, made a bad throw, and Toigo scored. The next batter was Lamastra, and he hit a double that scored Sims and Jones. Gannaway was relieved by Julian Berinti. He struck out the first batter he faced, but the next one, David Rivera, hit a two-run home run.
The Bulldogs had one more chance to score, in the top of the eighth. With one out, a double play ball was hit to Cruz at second base. His toss to the shortstop covering second ended up on the ground, and instead of the inning being over, there were runners at first and second. The next batter flied out. Ordorica hit the next batter, and the bases were loaded. However, a ground out ended the inning. The Royals completed the scoring with an RBI double by Sims in the bottom of the eighth. Ordorica started the top of the ninth with a strikeout. He walked the next batter, Magill, but he was forced out at second, and a ground out ended the game and the tournament.
The Royals out-hit the Bulldogs 17-11. The Bulldogs committed four errors, resulting in three unearned runs. Seeley got the win; he pitched five-plus innings, gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits, struck out six. Ordorica got a save; he pitched three innings, allowed one hit, struck out five. Bulldog starter Sam Rochard got the loss. All of the Royals starting position players got on base. Rivera and Lamastra both finished 3-for-5, and Lamastra had three RBI. Newman finished 3-for-5 for the Royals. Attendance: 2,653. Box score
Cruz was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Magill received the Charles Berry Hustle Award. Rivera received the Gold Glove Award.
NAIA release: Hope International (Calif.) Claims First Red Banner in Program History
