TexasBrownsville

Second round action at the Red River Athletic Conferencetournament in Shreveport:

#9 LSU-Shreveportdefeated Texas Wesleyan 11-0. Jared Mortenson went eight innings for the Pilots, allowed four hits, struck out 13. 1B Kevin Smith hit a grand slam home run, went 2-2 with two runs scored. The Pilots have out-scored their opponents 25-4 so far in this tournament.

Texas-Brownsvilledefeated #17 Northwood (TX) 13-12. The Scorpions led 13-5 going into the ninth inning, but the Knights send 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the ninth to make it a one-run game. LF Matt Warner went 3-5 with a home run and four RBI for the Scorpions.

Wileydefeated Texas College11-1.

Schedule for Monday(times CDT): LSU-Shreveport vs. Texas-Brownsville, 11:30 AM, audio webcast; Wiley  vs. Northwood, 3:00 PM.

The Southern States Athletic Conferencetournament resumes in Columbus, GA on Monday. The TranSouth Athletic Conferencetournament starts Monday, in Jackson, TN. The Sun Conference tournament starts Tuesday in Fort Myers, FL. The Golden State Athletic Conferencetournament starts in Riverside, CA on Tuesday. The Sooner Athletic Conferencetournament starts in Lubbock, TX on Wednesday. The NAIA Westtournament starts in Atherton, CA on Wednesday.

Third round action at the Southern States Athletic Conferencetournament in Columbus, GA:

#13 Faulknerand #19 Southern Polytechnicjoined the list of ranked teams that have been taken out of this tournament. Faulkner lost 7-4 to #16 Brewton-Parker7-4. The winning run for the Barons came in the sixth inning; 2B Errick Fox scored when LF Randall Shepherd drew a bases-loaded walk. Fox went 3-5 with an RBI for the game.

#22 Belhavenis now in the driver's seat in this tournament. The Blazers defeated host William Carey7-1. Both teams had six hits, but four of the Blazers' came in the fifth inning; they scored six runs, four of which came on a grand slam home run by CF Tyler Wrinkle. Brandon McHenry got the win; he went seven innings, allowed no runs on five hits, struck out six.

Shorter took out Southern Polytechnic 4-3. The Hawks trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, but pinch-hitter Shannon Houston hit a two-RBI single to win it. Tim Day got the win in relief, but a good effort by starter Stephen Adkins kept the Hawks in the game; he went seven innings, allowed three runs on seven hits.

Schedule for Tuesday(times EDT): Brewton-Parker vs. Belhaven, 1 PM, audio webcast; William Carey vs. Shorter, 4 PM.

Third round action at the Red River Athletic Conferencetournament in Shreveport:

#9 LSU-Shreveportcontinued their domination of this tournament, defeating Texas-Brownsville11-4. This game was tied 2-2 after four innings, but the Pilots scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth; SS Manny Estrada and DH Kyle Pearson hit RBI doubles, and 1B  Kevin Smith, 2B Michael Diffie and CF Justin Brodnax hit RBI singles. Pearson finished 3-4 with two RBI.

#17 Northwood (TX) stayed in the tournament by defeating Wiley8-2.

Schedule for Tuesday(times CDT): Northwood vs. Texas-Brownsville, 11:30 AM; LSU-Shreveport vs. Northwood-Texas-Brownsville winner, 3:00 PM, audio webcast.

The start of the TranSouth Athletic Conferencetournament in Jackson, TN was postponed until Tuesday due to weather. The Sun Conference tournament starts Tuesday in Fort Myers, FL. The Golden State Athletic Conferencetournament starts in Riverside, CA on Tuesday. The Sooner Athletic Conferencetournament starts in Lubbock, TX on Wednesday. The NAIA Westtournament starts in Atherton, CA on Wednesday.

The NAIA Coaches' Poll for March 25, 2014, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking.

First place votes:Faulkner 19, Oklahoma Baptist 1
Lewis-Clark State is #1 in Strength of Schedule

#1 Faulknerwon a mid-week game over #6 Georgia Gwinnett, 4-2. The Eagles got all four of their runs on the third inning, and Patrick McGrady got the win in relief; he pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings. The loss broke a 20-game winning streak for the Grizzlies.

The Eagles then won two of three at William Carey,10-5, 1-2, and 14-0. C Robert Liera hit an RBI double in the seventh inning for the winning run in the first game. The Eagles added four insurance runs in the eighth inning. Thomas Dorminy got the win, went seven innings, allowed seven hits. Both of the Crusaders' runs in the second game were unearned; they came in on a single by CF Jeremy Ferguson. Gavin Culpepper went the seven-inning distance for the Crusaders, allowed two hits, struck out four. The Eagles scored ten runs in the first inning of the third game. Kurt Lipscomb, Jay Gause, and Vinny Lujan combined for the two-hit mercy-rule-shortened shutout. Gause allowed both Crusader hits, but also recorded four strikeouts in two innings of work.

The defending champions have a two-game lead over #8 Belhaven and #17 Brewton-Parker in the Southern States Athletic Conference. They host U. of Mobile March 28-29. Live video

Georgia Gwinnett swept three games against non-NAIA Hiwassee, 10-2, 5-3, and 10-7. The Grizzlies then defeated Truett-McConnell10-0. Five Grizzlies pitchers combined for the shutout, and RHP Jonathan Spitler got the win. C Sloan Strickland batted in three of the Grizzlies' runs. The Grizzlies host Emmanuel March 28, and visit Emmanuel March 29.

#2 Oklahoma Baptistwon two of three over #11 Oklahoma City, 3-5, 12-1, and 17-4; both of the wins were mercy-ruled. Chris Pike, coming off a perfect game and a no-hitter, got the win in the first game. He pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowed two earned runs on nine hits, and struck out nine. 1B Forrest Smith hit two two-run home runs for the Stars. 3B Garrett Roberts went 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored for the Bison in the second game. Jordan Morales went the distance for the Bison, allowed one run on five hits, struck out eight. 2B Ridge Hoopii-Haslam went 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI in the third game.

The Bison host #20 Wayland Baptist March 28-29. Live video Wayland Baptist has a 2 ½ game lead over the Bison in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Stars host Texas Wesleyan March 28-29. Live video

The NAIA Coaches' Top 25 for May 3, with Boyd Nation's ISR rankings. Recap below the fold:

First place votes:Embry-Riddle 15, Oklahoma City 4, Cal Baptist 1, Cumberland 1