No. 2 Seed Baseball Advances to AAC Tournament Championship Game
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Montreat (NC) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|
Tennessee Wesleyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | X | 7 | 10 | 1 |
KINGSPORT, Tenn.- After a tough day the previous day, the second-seeded baseball team returned to the field at Hunter Wright Stadium on Saturday in a need-to-win situation. A win against the opponent they faced the day before, the No. 6 Montreat College Cavaliers, would move the Bulldogs into the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Baseball Championship Tournament.
Like the previous game between the teams in the conference tournament, Montreat took the first lead of the contest. Unlike the previous game, once TWU started scoring, there was no need for a comeback.
After a run in the top of the fourth gave the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead, Cayle Webster got the Bulldogs on the board in the bottom half of the inning. Webster's solo home run started a streak of seven unanswered runs. Kruise Newman gave the team the lead in the same inning with his two-run home run, making the score 3-2 to end the fourth.
Marco Martinez stood on second after a single and a ground out in the sixth inning, scoring on a Daniel Stewart single to move the team's lead to 4-2. The next inning saw Martinez record two RBIs when his double brought Carson Ford and Jack Stevens around the bases to extend the lead to 6-2. Newman recorded the final run of the game, this time scoring on a Dante Leach double to make the final score 7-2 in favor of Tennessee Wesleyan.
Martinez and Newman both finished with two RBIs in the game. Gage Vailes got the pitching win, striking out seven batters in eight innings on the mound.
The championship game of the AAC Tournament will take place on Sunday. The opponent for the Bulldogs (36-16) has yet to be determined as well as the time for the game.
Along with the championship game appearance, the TWU win clinched one of the conference's automatic bids to the 2024 NAIA Baseball National Championship Tournament Opening Round. This will be the 15th straight time the program has qualified for the Opening Round, making them one of only two teams to qualify for every NAIA Opening Round (LSU Shreveport). The opening round is set for May 13-16. The site location and bracket will be announced on Thursday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m., ET.