No. 5 Baseball Bombs Truett McConnell in Ninth

ATHENS, Tenn.- The baseball team opened the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series against the Truett McConnell University Bears with a walk-off win on Friday. Fifth-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan won the game 15-14. 

A triple in the second inning helped the Bulldogs take the first lead of the game. Jack Stevens hit the triple, bringing in Corbin Shaw and Nick Collins to give the team a 2-0 lead. Kolton Reynolds grew the lead to 3-0 in the third inning. With Josh Shelly standing on third, Reynolds hit a single up the middle to give Shelly the space to score. After a tie occurred in the top of the fifth inning, an error helped TWU break the tie in the bottom half of the inning.

Daniel Stewart got the run on base with a single. After stealing second, Jonathan Bosque stole third and an errant throw gave Bosque the space to score, giving the Bulldogs a 4-3 advantage. The opponents threw a knockout punch in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, scoring 10 runs to lead 13-4 at the beginning of the bottom of the seventh. 

Tennessee Wesleyan did not stay down for the count though, swinging a punch of their own by plating six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Shaw started the climb back with a solo home run. The next three batters, Collins, Stevens, and Kurtis Reid loaded the bases. Brayan Espinoza unloaded the bases with a grand slam over the center field wall. Stewart's solo bomb made the score 13-10 at the end of the seventh inning.

Each team scored a run in the eighth inning. Stevens hit a solo home run, setting the stage for the walk-off attempt after a scoreless top of the ninth inning left the score 14-11 to enter the final half inning of the game. 

With one out on the board, Stewart hit a single through the hole in the left side to put a potential run on base. Reynolds fulfilled the potential with a home run, pulling TWU with a run of the lead. The second out of the inning occurred on the next at-bat. Collins kept put the game-tying run on base with his double, keeping the inning and comeback hopes alive. Stevens made sure the Bulldogs ended the game as winners, blasting a ball over the left field wall for a two-run home run and a 15-14 walk-off win.

Stevens finished with five RBIs in the game. Caiden Johnson was credited with the win.

Tennessee Wesleyan (27-9, 16-6 AAC) finishes the series against the Bears with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game of the doubleheader is set for 1:00 p.m.