MONTGOMERY, Ala. (May 14, 2018) – A three-run home run by
Marcus Begg in the bottom of the eighth inning erased a three-run deficit for the Warriors, but in the end the second-seeded Webber International University baseball team fell to third-seeded Indiana Tech 10-5 in 10 innings on Monday during the first day of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round – Montgomery Bracket.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Webber (35-23) put together a two-out rally as
Manny Rodriguez reached base on an error to extend the inning and was followed by a single through the left side by
Chris Medina to bring up the tying run in Begg.
Begg proceeded to bring everyone home to tie the game at 4-4 with a home run to left center field, his ninth long ball as a junior.
After a 1-2-3 top of the ninth by relief pitcher Doug Peal (6-2) and a bottom of the ninth where the Warriors left the winning run on second base, Indiana Tech led off the top of the 10th inning with a walk against Pearl, and then another walk followed by a wild pitch by
Jesse Coleman put runners on second and third with one out.
From there, the wheels came off as Indiana Tech (43-19) scored on a wild throw home by
Quirino Esquivel from second trying to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. Indiana Tech then added runs on a two-run double, two more singles and another wild pitch by Coleman to finish with a six-spot in the frame.
Earlier in the game, the Warriors scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI hit to right by Coleman and proceeded to load the bases with only one out, but Webber was unable to capitalize on the early opportunity as a double play got Indiana Tech out of the jam.
Webber then left a runner in scoring position in the fourth inning before Indiana Tech broke a 1-1 tie with a one-out home run to left field on a 0-2 count in the top of the fifth inning. Indiana Tech added two more runs with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and a perfect squeeze bunt in the seventh.
Webber's comeback effort in the bottom of the eighth was set up by a picture perfect 6-4-3 double play in the top of the eighth, (
Cristian Rivera to Esquivel to
Alex Rodriguez), the second double play of the day turned by the Warriors, as the Webber defense stranded a runner on third base for the third inning in a row.
Medina and Coleman both led the way with two hits at the plate while M. Rodriguez and Medina both scored twice as well.
After a two-hit shutout in Webber's opening game of the national tournament a year ago and coming off of another two-hitter against No. 3 Saint Thomas University in Webber's 1-0 Sun Conference Tournament Championship win a week ago Monday, starter
Juan Terron finished with a final line of five hits, four total runs and three earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched.
Pearl finished with only one run allowed on three hits in his three innings of work.
Due to potential inclement weather that is entering the Montgomery area, the remaining games in the bracket will be moved up. The Warriors will now play in an elimination matchup against the champion of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament, Louisiana State University Alexandria (32-26), on Tuesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Central Time in Montgomery, Alabama.
Fifth-seeded LSU Alexandria (La.) fell to fourth-seeded Talladega College (Ala.) 9-0 in the opening game of the bracket on Monday.
Should Webber defeat LSU Alexandria on Tuesday morning, it will return to Harrison Field at 5 p.m. on Tuesday against the loser between Talladega and top-seeded Faulkner University to try and keep its 2018 season alive.
