Fort Myers, FL - The 6th ranked Webber International Baseball team has completed the first leg in their quest for an NAIA Red Banner, winning the SUN Conference Tournament Title without dropping a single game. The Warriors took down St. Thomas and Keiser in the first two games, got revenge on Southeastern and after a lengthy rain delay on Sunday, took down the Seahawks again to win the tournament crown.
Webber started out the tournament with a 13-3 drubbing of the St. Thomas Bobcats. Steven Nitch started the scoring for the Warriors, as his double scored Bryan Morales. A Camren Carroll double scored Skylar Schulz, before J'Quann Smith hit a bases loaded single for two RBIs, making it 4-0 Warriors. Brandon Sanchez followed with a two RBI single of his own, and Morales finished the inning with one as well, making it 7-0 Webber after two. Smith singled again in the third, scoring Deven Tedders to extend the lead to 8-0. Nitch and Richard Rodriguez each doubled for RBIs to make it 10-1. After St. Thomas made it 10-3, Sanchez and Schulz made it 12-3 in the seventh before a bases loaded walk by Carroll walked off the game for the Warriors. Blayne Huter pitched six solid innings striking out four Bobcats before Hunter Youngblood came in and shut it down in the seventh inning.
Webber moved onto the Keiser Seahawks in the second round. The Warriors jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after RBIs from Sanchez, Morales and Nitch in the third inning. Nitch gained two more RBIs to make it 7-1 in favor of the Warriors. The Seahawks picked up five unanswered runs to make it 7-6 in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Noah Palmese came in and shut the door on the Seahawks, striking out three batters across the final 2.1 innings to preserve the Warriors' lead and advance Webber in the tournament. Dalton Robinson drew the start for the Warriors while Jacob Hardy was credited with the win after two innings of relief. The win set up a Saturday game against the SUN Conference Regular Season Victors in the Southeastern Fire.
It was a common theme for the Warriors in game three of the tournament as Webber exploded for five runs in the first inning. Ryan Recio tripled to bring Jalen Martinez home, Morales scored Recio and Schulz scored Morales. Nitch put an exclamation point on the inning with a two-run homer. The Fire scored in the seventh to make it 5-1, but another two-run homer this time from Martinez put the game out of reach as the Warriors took down the Fire 7-3. Mark Link drew the start for the Warriors striking out six batters in five innings of work, while Julian Balzer and Hardy took mop up duties, keeping the Fire in check over the final four innings. With Keiser winning the ensuing losers bracket game against the Fire 18-10, Webber knew its opponent for the Conference Championship showdown on Sunday.
If it's not broke why fix it, as Webber struck first in the first inning again with Morales drawing a bases loaded walk, and Schulz grounding into a fielder's choice, scoring Recio to make it 2-0 in the first. Webber doubled their lead in the second, after a triple from Smith scored Tedders, and a groundout by Martinez brought Smith home. The score of 4-0 would hold into the seventh inning when the Seahawks were able to respond. With the score at 4-2, the SUN Conference Player of the Year Simon Grinberg took one deep to tie it 4-4. The Warriors responded immediately as an error on the Keiser shortstop allowed Rodriguez to reach first and Joseph Becker to score, making it 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Sanchez scored Martinez for an insurance run in the ninth, and Hardy shut the Seahawks down in the eighth and ninth to earn the save. Huter earned the starting nod, going an efficient 3.2 innings, striking out three. Palmese also pitched three innings, giving up all four runs. Gregory Bori got the win after getting the Warriors out of the seventh.
This is the second time the Warriors have won the SUN Conference Tournament, as Head Coach Collin Martin joins Coach Brad Niethammer as a Conference Tournament Winning Head Coach.
The Warriors now await their destination in the NAIA Opening Round, as with the tournament won, have won the SUN Conference Auto bid.
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