BABSON PARK, Fla. (February 28, 2019) – The final day of February for the No. 18 Webber International University baseball team featured home runs by Marcus Begg and Garrett Martin and had 10 strikeouts in eight innings by pitcher Doug Pearl, but in the end it took 12 innings and a walk off walk by Quirino Esquivel to send the Warriors to a 5-4 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Thursday night at the Heart of Florida Field.

Pearl pitched eight strong innings allowing only one run on four hits with four walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts, but the Warriors were unable to hold on to a one run-lead in the ninth as the Cougars led off the inning with a solo home run to right field to tie it at 2-2.

The run in the ninth inning for Mount Vernon Nazarene came off of John Shutrump, who in all pitched 3.2 innings allowing three hits and three runs, but only one earned run, which was good enough to keep Webber in it.

After two runs by the Cougars in the top of the 11th on two errors by the Warriors and some other sloppy defensive plays, Webber responded with Martin's first career home run, a shot to left field to also score Esquivel and tie it at 4-4.

Then, after Shutrump and Gerig Blackman (3-0) combined to leave the bases loaded in the top of the 12th, Webber finally put an end to the madness in the bottom half as Begg singled to shortstop to lead it off, Carlos Pino came up with a bunt single and Carlo Mancillas was hit by a pitch to lead the bases with one out, leading to Esquivel's game-winning walk on four straight balls.

In all, Esquivel finished 3-for-5 with two runs batted in while Begg, Pino and Webber's reining Sun Conference Player of the Week, Luis Esteban, each finished with two hits as well.

Earlier in the contest, it was Esquivel who first put the Warriors ahead 1-0 with an RBI-double down the left field line scoring Hunter Jones in the second inning; and then after Mount Vernon Nazarene tied in it the top of the fifth, Begg answered with his homer deep over the scoreboard in left field to make it 2-1. It was Begg's fifth home run of the season so far after hitting double-digit homers in each of the last two seasons.

Webber improved to 8-9 overall on the season while Mount Vernon Nazarene, which was coming off of two big wins over No. 16 Point Park University (14-2) and nationally-recognized Judson University (13-8) in each of its last two games, fell to 7-4.

On Sunday, March 3, the Warriors will host the University of St. Francis from Illinois at 1 p.m., beginning a stretch of four games in three days on the Heart of Florida Field.