Menlo

#1 Georgia Gwinnettswept through the Association of Independent Institutions tournament, defeating Fisher13-3, Mount Mercy9-1, and Clarke6-3 and 14-1. In the first game against Clarke, CF Josh Merrigan hit an RBI single for the winning run. RHP Nikolay Uherek got the win, pitched seven innings, allowed two earned runs on nine hits, struck out six. Story

Zac Rinehart is second in the NAIA in hitting with a .476 average. The Grizzlies are hosting an Opening Round bracket May 17-20. video

#2 Bellevue won the North Star Athletic Association tournament. They hit eight home runs in the final against Mayville State, and won 14-1. LF Joe Moran hit two of the home runs. RHP Ben McKendall had a shutout going into the eighth inning before giving up a home run by LF Aaron Miller. The Comets had to play an "if necessary" game to get to the final, and ran out of pitchers in the seventh inning, when the Bruins scored ten runs. Story None of the games the Bruins played in the tournament were close. RHP Todd Nicks and RHP John Timmins combined for an 11-0 shutout over Waldorf; Nicks struck out 14. Story

McKendall is now 11-1, 1.53 ERA (ninth-best in the NAIA), with 111 strikeouts (tied for sixth-best in the NAIA). The Bruins now wait to learn their Opening Round location.

#3 Lewis-Clark Statewon the NAIA West tournament, without giving up a single run. The defending champions defeated Corban7-0, British Columbia3-0, and C. of Idaho5-0. RHP Kevin Hamann, RHP Noel Gonzalez (in relief), and RHP Connor Brogdon got the wins; Hamann went the distance. The game against British Columbia was probably the best of the three. It was scoreless until the eight inning, and a good pitching duel between RHP Curtis Taylor of the Thunderbirds (6 IP, 4 hits, 10 strikeouts, no walks) and RHP Quin Grogan of the Warriors (7 2/3 IP, 3 hits, seven strikeouts, three walks). The Warriors got the only run they needed on an RBI double by CF Logan Griffin, off reliever RHP Christian Botnick. LF Jacob Zanon completed the scoring with a solo home run. Story 1B Tyler McDowell went 4-for-4 with two triples and a stolen base in the game against C. of Idaho. Story

The Warriors are idle until the Baseball National Championship tournament May 27-June 3. Both the Thunderbirds (ISR #9, #1in strength of schedule) and C. of Idaho (ISR #12) will be playing in the Opening Round.

Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft:

#21 Belhavenwon the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament, defeating William Carey in the final 16-5. The Blazers put it away with ten runs in the third inning, led by a grand slam home run by C Ryan Saunders; all of the runs were scored with two out.

Belhaven, Lee, and Auburn-Montgomery will be in the Opening Round tournament. Faulkner, Southern Polytechnic,and Brewton-Parkerwill have to wait until the final coaches' poll next week.

Results from the TranSouth Conferencetournament in Jackson, TN:

#4 Cumberlandwas upset by Bethel (TN) (ISR #59) 9-7 in the first round. The Bulldogs led 5-2 after five innings, but the Wildcats scored four runs in the sixth inning on no hits, three bases on balls, and three errors. The winning run came in the seventh inning on a two-RBI double by LF Jay Lowery.

#22 Trevecca Nazarenedefeated Freed-Hardeman4-1. The winning run came on a sacrifice fly by DH Jordan Foreman.

Martin Methodistdefeated Union U. (TN)(ISR #23) 2-1. Martin Methodist starter Jerry McMurtry went eight innings, allowed one run on five hits, struck out ten, threw 128 pitches. Jeremey Stack went the distance for Union U.; he allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out seven, threw 126 pitches. The winning run came on a wild pitch by Stack.

Results from the TranSouth Conferencetournament in Jackson, TN:

#4 Cumberlanddefeated Freed-Hardeman9-3, eliminating Freed-Hardeman. Aaron Wilkerson got his 12th win of the season, went six innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out seven, threw 114 pitches. Daniel Kern got a save; he retired all nine batters he faced, struck out two. SS Tommy Winegardner hit a three-run home run.

Union U. (TN)defeated Bethel (TN)10-5.

Martin Methodistdefeated #22 Trevecca Nazarene 4-3, in ten innings. CF Tony Allen singled in the winning run; he went 3-4 for the game. Both starters went the distance; Travis Garcia got the win, allowed five hits, struck out ten, threw 134 pitches. P.J. Francescon got the loss, allowed eight hits, struck out 14, threw 140 pitches.

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

Results from the first day of the NAIA West tournament at Hilken Community Stadium, Portland, OR, May 2:

College of Idaho 7, Concordia-Portland 5: A game that was close all the way, but the Coyotes scored runs in each of the last three innings to win it. RF Isaac Garsez scored the winning run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by 1B Jesse Dodd. Garsez was 3-for-6 with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Starter Chad Yeggy went eight innings for the Coyotes. He gave up three runs (one of them unearned) in the first two innings, but gave up only one more the rest of the way. He gave up two hits at the start of the ninth inning, but Todd Griffiths moved from second base to the mound and got a double play ball and a line drive to the shortstop to finish the game with only one run coming in.

Jason Snodgrass, who allowed 13 hits, got the loss for the Cavaliers. 2B Mike Dickman went 2-for-4 for the Cavaliers.

Box score and play-by-play

Menlo 2, British Columbia 1: Oaks ace Joey Webb pitched a gem. He went the distance, held the Thunderbirds to one run on six hits, walked one, and struck out three. He threw 139 pitches.

The Oaks opened the scoring in the first inning, on and RBI single by 3B Michael Brandi. There wasn't any more scoring until the Oaks increased their lead to 2-0 with an RBI single by RF Collin Forgey in the seventh inning. The Thunderbirds got double plays in the second and third innings, and Thunderbird starter David Otterman picked off a baserunner at first to prevent further damage in the seventh. RF Sebastian Wong opened the sixth inning for the THunderbirds with a triple, and was stranded. The Thunderbirds had baserunners at second and third with one out in the seventh inning, with singles by 2B Andrew Firth and LF Nick Senior, but Firth was tagged out at home on a ground ball by 3B Mike Hole, and DH Gabe Mark grounded out to end the inning.

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.

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 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.

NAIA baseball action during the past week, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking.

ISR #1 Lewis-Clark State is also #1 in strength of schedule. They swept four games against Menlo, 10-3, 8-1, 2-0, and 11-7. 2B Brian Corliss was 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple in the first game (story). RF Cody Lavalli went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the second game. Carsen Nylund and Steve Thompson combined for the shutout in the third game; Nylund went eight innings, allowed two hits, struck out eight. LF Jake Shirley scored the winning run on a ground out by CF Zach Holley in the first inning (story). Lavalli hit another home run in the fourth game, went 2-for-4 with four RBI (story).

The Warriors host Oregon Tech March 15-16 (streaming audio). They then travel to Daytona Beach, FL for six games, starting with Saint Thomas on March 18.

#2 Faulknerlost a mid-week game to Point, 3-2. All three of Point's runs were unearned, and Tommy Braddock got the win for the Skyhawks. The Eagles then lost the first game of a series at Spring Hill, 6-5 (ten innings). The Eagles trailed most of the game, but took a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth on three unearned runs. The Badgers sent it into extra innings with an RBI single by 2B Brian Sims. The winning run came on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Trey Marshall. Douglas Keller, who allowed only one hit the last three innings, got the win (story).

The Badgers didn't get another run in the series; the Eagles won the remaining two games 6-0 and 11-0. Will Dismukes and Julian Esquibel pitched the shutouts. 1B Ethan Williams hit a three-run home run in the first game, and C Zach Colby went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in the second game. (story).

The Eagles are 21-4, and Esquibel is 6-0 in six starts, with an ERA of 1.05. The Eagles visit Blue Mountain March 12, and host #18 William Carey March 15-16.

NAIA baseball action during the past week.

#1 Tennessee Wesleyan defeated Georgia Gwinnett 2-1, and won two of three against Saint Andrew's, 2-0, 6-5, and 2-3. The winning run against Georgia Gwinnett came on an RBI single by SS Wes Minton in the bottom of the ninth. Corey Rhoney and Noah Piard combined for the shutout in the first Saint Andrew's game; Rhoney went eight innings, allowed four hits, struck out seven. In the second game, the Knights out-hit the Bulldogs 12-7; the Bulldogs scored all six of their runs in the first inning. CF Travis Burnside hit a two-RBI single, then scored the winning run on a misplayed ground ball. In the third game, the defending champions were held to six hits by Joe McCarty and Evan Tucker. RF Michael Durig batted in all three of the Knights' runs.

The Bulldogs are now 15-5. They visit Belhaven March 5-6, host Milligan March 9-10, and host Ohio Christian March 11.

#2 LSU-Shreveport got an easy 15-5 mid-week win over Division III Louisiana College, but was swept by Texas Wesleyan, 5-1, 12-8, and 6-5. Derek Vaughn got the win for the Rams in the first game; he went six innings, allowed one run on two hits, struck out four. Connor Zamora and Nolan Barbee kept the Pilots off the board the rest of the way, and Zamora struck out three of the six batters he faced. CF Trevor Moon singled in the winning run (story). In the second game, the Rams scored ten runs in the second inning, capped by a three-RBI double by SS David Kiriakos. The Pilots out-hit the Rams 11-7 in the third game. They got within one run in the top of the ninth, and had the go-ahead run on first with nobody out. However, reliever Patrick Stanley got two strikeout and a fly out to end the game and get a save (story).

Northwood (TX), who has won seven straight, has the lead in the Red River Athletic Conference. The Rams are two games back, and the Pilots are three games back. The Pilots visit LSU-Alexandria March 5, and host Huston-Tillotson March 8-9. Streaming audio

#1 Faulknerwon a midweek game against Point,5-4, and won two of three against Loyola-New Orleans, 4-5 (10 innings), 4-0, and 4-0. 2B Luis Sanchez hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh for the win over Point. 3B Peyton Senner hit an RBI single in the tenth for the winning run for the Wolf Pack in the loss to Loyola. Wolf Pack relievers Stewart Campbell and Connor Thurman held the Eagles to one hit over the final three innings. Jeremy Holcombe pitched a complete seven-inning shutout in the second game, allowed three hits; Sanchez batted in the winning run in the first inning. Julian Esquibel one-upped Holcombe in the third game; he also held the Wolf Pack to three hits, but he also recorded 10strikeouts, didn't walk a batter. Sanchez went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

The defending champions are 14-3. They visit #8 Tennessee Wesleyan March 5, and Spring Hill March 7-8.

#2 Lewis-Clark State played in the Porter Park Classic in Portland, OR, and won two of three. They defeated Division II Montana State-Billings 4-2, lost to British Columbia2-0, and defeated host Concordia-Portland8-6. RF Cody Lavalli hit a two-run home run for the winning run against MSU-Billings; David Murillo got the win in relief, pitched three shutout innings, allowed two hits. Jeremy Newton and Alex Webb combined for the shutout for the Thunderbirds in the second game. Newton pitched seven innings, scattered 11 hits, was helped by two double plays. Webb got out of a jam in the eighth. The Warriors had runners at first and second with nobody out, and they were bunted to second and third. Webb got a fly out (not deep enough for the runner on third to score) and a strikeout. He recorded two more strikeouts in the ninth to finish the game. Both of the Birds' runs were in the early going. 1B Vinny Martin hit an RBI single in the first, and SS Tyson Popoff hit an RBI single in the second. In the third game, 2B Brian Corliss hit a two-RBI double in the seventh inning for the winning run. Corliss added a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for the insurance run. Carsen Nylund got the win in relief.

The Thunderbirds also defeated MSU-BIllings and Concordia; Sean Callegari and Tyler Gillies got the wins. The tournament final between the Warriors and Thunderbirds was rained out. However, the Warriors and Thunderbirds get a rematch in Lewiston March 7-9. (This series was moved from Vancouver due to weather considerations.)

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.

NAIA coaches' poll for April 5, 2016, with Boyd Nation's ISR. Recaps below.

NAIA coaches' poll for March 31, 2015, with Boyd Nation's ISR. Recaps below.

NAIA coaches' poll for May 3, 2016, with Boyd Nation's ISR. Recaps below.