AUM ousted from NAIA World Series by Lindsey Wilson 15-12
LEWISTON, Idaho (aumathletics.com) —- Facing a 13-run deficit midway through the sixth inning, the Auburn Montgomery baseball rallied for the final 10 runs of the game, but fell short, as it dropped a 15-12 decision in an elimination game at the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series at Harris Field Monday.
NOTES
• The loss ended the Warhawks season at 46-17.
• Lindsey Wilson improved to 44-24 on the year.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Dalton Kelley finished 2-for-5 with a grand slam, five runs batted in and a run scored.
• Michael Tedford was 2-for-5 with a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored.
• Houston Davenport had three hits and a run batted in.
• Cody Rush added three hits, two runs scored and a RBI.
• Mac Seibert finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and run batted in.
• Cole Goodwin tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
• David Carter, Brady Eldridge and Jed Carter each threw scoreless innings in relief.
• Alec Salcedo was 3-for-3 with six RBIs, three runs scored and a walk for the Blue Raiders.
• Jan Carlos Ortiz and Austin Atwell each drove in two runs. Ortiz had three hits and two runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Blue Raiders scored six times in their first three at bats, pushing three runs across in the first, one in the second and two in the third. In the first, Ortiz ripped a RBI single, while Atwell and Brandon Munoz each connected on sacrifice flies off Warhawk starter Kade Suther (8-4). In the second, Salcedo put down a safety squeeze and upped the advantage to 4-0, before scoring a pair of unearned runs in the third to extend the lead to 6-0.
• The Warhawks rallied for two runs in the third. Tedford beat out a safety squeeze to plate Deric Boone, before Rush came around to score on a double play.
• The Blue Raiders looked to blow the game open with nine runs in the sixth inning to open up a 15-2 lead. Salcedo delivered the big blow with a grand slam, while Atwell, Ortiz and Ryan Harper also picked up RBIs.
• AUM rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the frame to pull back into the contest. Kaleb Harris led off the inning with a walk, before moving to third on a single by Brandon Davis. Seibert plated a run with a single, before a walk to Scotty Smith loaded the bases. Davenport picked up a RBI when he was hit by a pitch and Rush drove in a run with a single, cutting the margin to 15-5. Tedford trimmed the margin to single digits with a bases-loaded walk, before Kelley connected on a grand slam to make the score 15-10.
• The Warhawks pushed across another run in the seventh inning, when Kelley singled in Tedford in the seventh.
• AUM put one final rally together in the ninth inning, plating a run on a Tedford single, but left the bases loaded. With the bases full, Lindsey Wilson reliever James Roll retired Kelley, Harris and Davis to escape the jam and preserve the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The two teams combined to hit into seven double plays, four by the Warhawks and three by the Blue Raiders.
• The Warhawks stranded 11 runners on base, while Lindsey Wilson left six on base.
• The 17 combined runs in the sixth inning set a new NAIA World Series record.
• The nine pitchers used by the Warhawks was also a new World Series record, bettering the eight used by Vanguard in 2015.
QUOTING THE WARHAWKS
“In all my years of coaching, this is absolutely the best ‘team’ I have ever been associated with,” head coach Marty Lovrich said. “There have been many years we have had more talent, but never a group who enjoyed played together more. I am so proud of the way we jumped back into the game today, because this is the way I wanted to remember these guys.”
