Kingsport, TN — The 8th ranked Webber International Baseball team split a pair of games on Wednesday at Hunter Wright Stadium, opening the day with an 8-6 win over Indiana Wesleyan to set up a game with Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs for a shot at Lewison, Idaho in the AVISTA NAIA World Series. The Warriors were unable to take down the Bulldogs to force the if necessary final game, ending their season in the NAIA Opening Round.
Webber started the day with a strong offensive response in an 8-6 win over Indiana Wesleyan. After Indiana Wesleyan jumped in front with three runs in the top of the third, the Warriors answered with a five-run bottom half to take control. David Zamora opened the frame with a single, Nomar Vazquez followed with a walk, and Tugg Hollandsworth put the ball in play to second base, allowing Zamora to score on a throwing error. Jalen Martinez then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Vazquez, before Ty Mathews singled through the left side to score Hollandsworth and tie the game. The inning continued when Mike Cuello reached on a throwing error that allowed both Mathews and Kaleb Henry to come home, giving Webber a 6-3 lead.
The Warriors had originally taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Will Gisriel singled, moved to third on a Cuello base hit, and scored on an Austen Jaslove sacrifice fly. Indiana Wesleyan chipped away with single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but Webber added two important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Cuello doubled to start the inning and later scored on a Zamora single through the right side. Zamora then stole third and came home on a throwing error by the catcher, pushing the lead to 8-6.
Webber finished the opener with 10 hits. Hollandsworth, Mathews, Cuello, and Zamora each recorded two hits, while Zamora scored twice, drove in one run, and added two stolen bases. Cuello doubled, scored once, and drove in a run, while Martinez, Mathews, Jaslove, and Zamora each collected an RBI. On the mound, Zach Hessler earned the win in relief, throwing four innings while allowing just two hits and one unearned run with four strikeouts. Gregory Bori started and struck out four over three innings, while Tyler Helton worked two innings out of the bullpen.
In game two, Webber was unable to carry the momentum into its matchup with Tennessee Wesleyan, falling 9-1. Tennessee Wesleyan scored three runs in the bottom of the first and added single runs in the third and fourth innings to build a 5-0 lead. The Warriors broke through in the seventh after Ty Mathews reached with a leadoff double and later scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Austen Jaslove.
Tennessee Wesleyan answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the eighth to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs finished with 13 hits, including two home runs, while holding Webber to five hits. Will Gisriel led the Warriors offensively with a 2-for-4 performance, while Mathews went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and Webber's lone run scored. Jalen Martinez and Steven Nitch also added hits for the Warriors.
Ryan Franklin started on the mound for Webber and worked three innings, striking out two. Austin Dobbins followed with 3.2 innings of relief, allowing one earned run while striking out two, and Brandon Vazquez closed the final 1.1 innings. The loss to the Bulldogs cut short the Warriors efforts to make it back to Lewiston for the second year in a row.
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