Schedule for the first two days of the 56^th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday, May 25, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

9 AM: #7 seed Point Park (51-9) vs. #10 College of Idaho (41-19)

Point Park (Pittsburgh) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship since 1998.
Nickname: Pioneers
Rankings: #12 in coaches' poll, #17 in ISR. Strength of schedule: #160
Significant wins: Campbellsville
Top position players: OF Tom Pasinski (.351), IF Tom Birko (.343)
Top pitchers: RHP Derek Peluso (9-1, 2.23 ERA, 73 K), RHP Manny Perdomo (7-0, 1.47 ERA), LHP Nathan Spohn (8-0, 2.29 ERA), RHP Sean Clark (7-0, 2.55 ERA)
Coach: Loren Torres, third season
Outlook: The Pioneers are happy to be here.

College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID) is making their first trip to the Baseball National Championship since 2002. They won the championship in 1998.
Nickname: Coyotes
Rankings: Unranked in coaches' poll, #28 in ISR. SoS: #31
Significant wins: 1-1 vs. Azusa Pacific, 3-1 vs. British Columbia, 2-3 vs. Lewis-Clark State
Top position players: LF Izaac Garsez (.396, 8 home runs, 52 RBI), Jarel Lewis (.374, 6 home runs, 56 RBI), Tanner Hodges (.373, 66 RBI), 3B/RHP Todd Griffiths (.258), DH Jesse Dodd (.369).
Top pitchers: RHP Taylor Nicholson (9-2, 2.47 ERA, 63 K), LHP Zachary Fabricius (5-4, 4.04 ERA, 39 K), RHP Chad Yeggy (8-3, 3.71 ERA), LHP Joshua Orr (7-4, 4.09 ERA), RHP Todd Griffiths (4-1, 2.58 ERA).
Coach: Shawn Humberger, 12th season
Outlook: The Coyotes played well all season in a good conference, and got a win at Azusa Pacific to get here. They should get a couple of wins in this tournament.

Oklahoma City, Lee, South Carolina-Beaufort, and the College of Idaho have qualified for the Baseball National Championship tournament. Results from the fifth day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Oklahoma City, OK:

Oklahoma City 3, Sterling (KS) 0: The Stars finished this tournament with a phenomenal three straight shutouts. Sterling had the tying run at the plate with no outs in the top of the ninth, and Patrick Goelz came in, threw nine straight strikes to end it.

The winning run came in the third inning, on an RBI double by 1B Miguel Beltran. Beltran went 3-for-4 for the game. Starter Blake Schwartz got the win, went six innings, allowed five hits, struck out seven.

At Hardeeville, SC:

South Carolina-Beaufort 11, Saint Thomas (FL) 2: The Sand Sharks scored eight runs in the fourth inning. 1B Brandon Collins went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and three RBI.

The Sand Sharks earned this trip to Lewiston in only the fourth year of their program.

At Azusa, CA:

College of Idaho 7, Azusa Pacific 6: CF Tyler Andazola hit a ground ball in the bottom of the ninth to score SS Tanner Hodges from third base to give the Coyotes their first trip to the National Championship tournament since 2002.

Todd Griffiths, who pitched a complete-game shutout against Menlo on Friday, went 8 1/3 innings in this one, allowed 11 hits. He was relieved by Taylor Nicholson after the Cougars tied it with two runs in the top of the ninth. Nicholson threw eight pitches, got the win.

At Cleveland, TN:

Lee 8, Missouri Baptist 5: The Flames scored five runs in the top of the third inning to break a 2-2 tie. 1B Roberto Reyes hit a three-RBI double.

This will be the sixth straight trip to Lewiston for the Flames since Mark Brew took over as Head Coach.

Oklahoma City gets two shutouts, stays alive. Results from the fourth day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Oklahoma City, OK:

Oklahoma City 7, Sterling (KS) 0: Ryan Gibson came close to duplicating Crabaugh's performance earlier in the day. He also allowed only four hits, walked one batter, struck out seven, threw 120 pitches. It was Gibson's fifth start of the season, and his first complete game. The Stars got the only run they needed in the first inning, on an RBI single by RF Dane Phillips. Phillips went 2-for-3 with two RBI for the game.

Oklahoma City 4, Lubbock Christian 0: Cody Crabaugh pitched a complete-game shutout to end the Chaparrals' season. He allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter, struck out five, threw only 98 pitches. CF Cody Ferrell singled in the winning run in the second inning. The next batter, 2B Brian Fisher, put down a squeeze bunt to bring in the insurance run. C Chad Carman went 3-for-5 with a home run and an RBI.

The Stars and Warriors play the "if necessary" game on Monday at noon CDT. Live video (for a fee) and live audio (free) are available here.

Story from Oklahoma City site: OCU knocks off Lubbock Christian, Sterling

LSU-Shreveport, Tennessee Wesleyan, Embry-Riddle, Point Park, and Rogers State have qualified for the Baseball National Championship tournament. Results from the third day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Paducah, KY:

LSU-Shreveport 5, Lindsey Wilson 1: Logan Norris pitched a three-hitter for the Pilots, struck out six, walked three. RF Kade Billeaudeaux hit a sacrifice fly for the winning run. Billeaudeaux went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

At Kingsport, TN:

Tennessee Wesleyan 14, Saint Francis (IL) 4: The Bulldogs got all the runs they needed in the third inning, on RBI singles by 1B Jake Stone and 3B Taylor Oldham, and a three-RBI double by DH Drew Levi. Levi went 3-for-5 with four RBI. Jeremy Fitzgerald got the win. Saint Francis used eight pitchers.

Results from the second day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Hardeeville, SC:

South Carolina-Beaufort 7, Faulkner 3: The #5-ranked Eagles went two-and-out, and the Sand Sharks gave Corey Black his second loss of the season. The Sand Sharks scored five runs in the last two innings, and the winning run came on a pinch-hit RBI single by Blake Cilwick. Miles Galvin got the win for the Sand Sharks, struck out eleven. The Sand Sharks play Union U. (TN) on Saturday, and the winner plays Saint Thomas.

Saint Thomas (FL) 6, Union U. (TN) 3: The Bobcats go to 2-0 in the tournament. Pinch-hitter Oscar Romero hit a two-RBI single for the winning run.

At Paducah, KY:

LSU-Shreveport 1, Lindsey Wilson 0: Lindsey Wilson starter Darren Travers gave up a run in the first inning on an RBI single by 1B Greg Friesen, and held the Pilots scoreless the rest of the way. The Pilots needed a shutout from Jared Mortensen, and got one. Mortensen held the Blue Raiders to four hits, struck out ten, and walked only one. The Pilots will face the Peru State-Lindsey Wilson winner tomorrow for the championship.

Union U. (TN) 3, Faulkner 1: (at Hardeeville, SC): After defeating Asbury 7-1 earlier in the day, the Bulldogs defeated #5 Faulkner with a complete game by Will Irwin.

Irwin, a transfer from Auburn, held the Eagles to six hits, and the only run the Eagles scored was unearned. Irwin struck out eight, didn't walk a batter, and most of the balls put in play by Eagles batters were harmless ground outs. He threw 125 pitches. He was also 2-4 at the plate.

Eagles starter Will Dismukes matched Irwin's performance for the first five innings, and the Eagles had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. However, the Bulldogs loaded the bases, and 1B Kody Pinson drew a walk to bring in the tying run, scored by Wacey Russell, the courtesy runner for Irwin. C Doug Joyce hit a two-RBI double in the seventh to bring in the winning run. Joyce went 3-for-5 for the game.

Here are the locations and seedings for the NAIA Opening Round tournaments, to be played May 10-14:

It didn't just take an extra day to decide the 2012 NAIA West championship; it took an extra inning, too. The Menlo Oaks will be making their first appearance in the NAIA Opening Round because of an outstanding tournament performance by Joey Webb, and an RBI single by 3B Michael Brandi with no outs in the top of the tenth, scoring RF Collin Forgey, who opened the inning with a triple.

The Coyotes still weren't done. After two quick outs in the bottom of the tenth, 3B Jeffrey Harris hit a single. The next batter, 1B Jesse Dodd, hit a ball that went by the third baseman and into left field. Harris tried to score all the way from first base, but ended up being out by 15 feet at home; the throw from left field was relayed by the shortstop.

Webb, who pitched four innings in relief, allowed one run on one hit, struck out six, and got the win. He pitched a complete game in the first round against British Columbia. The only run he gave up was an RBI single by DH Zachary Fabricius, which tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth.

Brandi was 3-for-5 for the game. James Jensen, who pitched the bottom of the tenth inning, got a save. Michael Garza, who pitched the last 4 2/3 innings for the Coyotes, got the loss.

The Oaks lost to the Coyotes 9-2 in the second round of this tournament. The Oaks defeated the Coyotes 1-0 yesterday to force this "if necessary" game.

Box score and play-by-play

It's going to take one more day to decide the NAIA West championship. Results from the third day of the NAIA West tournament at Hilken Community Stadium, Portland, OR, May 4:

Menlo 1, College of Idaho 0: A classic pitching duel on a wet afternoon. Both starters, James Jensen of Menlo and Taylor Nicholson of College of Idaho, went the distance, and both allowed five hits. Jensen threw fewer pitches (111 vs. 124), and Nicholson got more strikeouts (11 vs. 2), but in the stat that matters, Nicholson gave up the only run of the game, in the top of the eighth inning. C Ty Finley opened the inning with a single, and he was replaced by courtesy runner Taylor Cohn. He moved to second on a bunt single by CF Mickey Phelps, and to third on a bunt by DH James Threw. The next batter, RF Collin Forgey, hit a sacrifice fly.

The Coyotes got a baserunner as far as third in the bottom of the eighth (the only time in the game that they did so), but a ground out ended the inning.

Finley went 2-for-3 for the Oaks, and Phelps went 2-for-4. SS Tanner Hodges and LF Zachary Fabricius went 2-for-4 for the Coyotes.

Results from the second day of the NAIA West tournament at Hilken Community Stadium, Portland, OR, May 3:

College of Idaho 9, Menlo 2: SS Tanner Hodges hit a two-RBI single in the top of the third inning to provide the winning run for the Coyotes. RF Izaac Garsez hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, and Todd Griffiths went the distance for the Coyotes.

Garsez had his second big game of the tournament: 3-for-4 with two RBI and four runs scored. Hodges went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Griffiths scattered eleven hits and struck out six.

Starter Derek Martinez got the loss for the Oaks. DH Taylor Cohn went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Oaks.

Box score and play-by-play

Concordia-Portland 7, British Columbia 1 (British Columbia eliminated):

The Thunderbirds were held to six hits for the second time in the NAIA West tournament, left twelve runners on base, and the result was the end of their 2012 season.