Game Accounts

#1 Faulkner won 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 10 strikeouts, 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 Columbia 2-0, and defeated host Concordia-Portland 8-6. 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.)

#1 Faulkner swept Thomas, 8-7, 3-0, and 10-9. The Eagles got away with five errors in the first game, and trailed going into the eighth inning. They won it with a pair of walks, an error, and a sacrifice fly by 3B Sergio Sanchez. Jeremy Holcombe and Labradford Griffis combined for the shutout in the second game. The Eagles came from behind again in the third game; RF Michael Cruz hit an RBI double in the ninth inning to tie it, than scored the winning run on a wild throw after a bunt by pinch-hitter Mike Correa. Patrick McGrady, who faced one batter in the eighth, got the win; Julian Esquibel, a usually reliable starter, was lit up for seven runs during the first six innings.

The defending champions are 11-2, and have won seven straight. They host Point Feb. 25, and Loyola-New Orleans Feb. 28-March 1. Faulkner announced earlier this month that they are doing live video of all of their home games for the rest of the season.

#2 Lewis-Clark State won three of four against Division II power Western Oregon, 7-2, 8-4, 1-6, and 6-5 (10 innings). RF Cody Lavalli hit a two-RBI double in the second inning for the winning run in the first game; Michael Noteware got the win. Lavalli got two more RBI and two more hits (one of them a home run) in the second game; Carsen Nylund got the win in relief. In the third game, the Warriors were held to one run off Wolves starter Eric Huson. LF Matt Taylor batted in four of the Wolves' runs; he went 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. In the fourth game, Raymond Pedrina let off the tenth inning with a single, then scored the winning run on a passed ball with two out. The Wolves used seven pitchers, the Warriors six. Cody Chartrand got the win. Lavalli got yet another RBI; he batted in the Warriors only run in the third game.

The Warriors have started the season 7-1. They go to the Porter Park classic, a tournament hosted by Concordia-Portland, for their first NAIA action of this season. They play Division II Montana State-Billings Feb. 28, British Columbia and Concordia March 1, and a “TBA” game March 2. Live video

#3 Embry-Riddle celebrated the Daytona 500 with a trip to Division II Stillman. The Eagles lost the first two games 2-1 and 1-0, but salvaged the third game 8-4. In the first game, Nick Boggs hit a bunt single in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to bring in the winning run. Joey Falletta went the distance for the Tigers, allowed four hits. Stetson Nelson of the Eagles pitched a no-hitter in the second game, but the Tigers manufactured the only run of the game when Cameron Stallings was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on a bunt, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Brown. Tyler Vails went the distance for the Tigers, allowed five hits, and struck out the side in the seventh inning. Story 3B J. Rhet Montana went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the third game; Corey Tufts got the win.

The Eagles host Davenport Feb. 25 (Live video), and visit Warner Feb. 28-March 1. They host #14 Bellevue March 2-3. Live video

#1 Faulkner swept a series at Blue Mountain, 2-0, 8-1, and 10-1. Their record is now 8-2. LHP Thomas Dorminy pitched a one-hitter in the first game, struck out ten.RHP Jeremy Holcombe got the win in the second game, pitched six shutout innings, allowed three hits. RHP Julian Esquibel got the win in the third game. The Eagles visit Thomas Feb. 21-22.

#2 Lewis-Clark State started their season 4-0, sweeping Division II Montana State-Billings, 5-4, 20-6, 9-2, and 4-1. David Murillo, Beau Kerns, Dillon Keene, and Gunnar Swanson got the wins. Swanson went six innings, allowed three hits, struck out seven. LF/DH Kyle Knigge went 8-for-17 with four RBI for the series. The Warriors host Division II Western Oregon Feb. 21-23.

#3 Embry-Riddle swept South Carolina-Beaufort, 5-2, 4-0, and 3-1. RHP Daniel Poncedeleon went the nine-inning distance in the first game, struck out ten. LHP Stetson Nelson pitched all but the last out of a two-hit shutout in the second game, and the Eagles scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the eighth. RHP Corey Tufts and LHP Clayton Wagner combined for a one-hitter in the third game. The Sand Sharks got only nine hits in the series. The Eagles visit Division II Stillman Feb. 22-23.

#4 Missouri Baptist won three games at a tournament at Belhaven. The Spartans defeated Campbellsville 13-3, Saint Francis (IN) 19-3, and Belhaven 5-2. LF Orlando Olivera went 4-for-5 with two RBI against Campbellsville. 2B Jeff Smith went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI against Saint Francis. LHP Dave Mullins got the win against Belhaven; he went seven innings, allowed no earned runs and one hit. The Spartans host Indiana Wesleyan Feb. 21-22.

#1 Faulkner went 2-2 on the weekend, making their record 5-2. They split two games with #4 Missouri Baptist, winning 5-4, and losing 4-3. In the first game, DH Randy Joung, who reached on an error, scored the winning run on a balk by Carl Jameson in the bottom of the sixth of a seven-inning game. Labradford Griffis got a save; he struck out RF Enrique Pagan in the top of the seventh with the tying run at third base. 2B Jeff Smith hit a solo home run in the second inning for the winning run in the second game. Ryan Stapp got the win; he combined with two other pitchers to hold the Eagles to four hits.

The Eagles' other loss was to #15 Lindsey Wilson, 4-1. The Eagles held a 1-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but several errors in the seventh allowed the Blue Raiders to win it. LHP Jason Turner went the seven-inning distance for the Blue Raiders, allowed five hits. Jeremy Holcombe, who allowed only three hits, and struck out seven, got the loss.

The Eagles finished the weekend with a 7-4 win over #10 Cumberland. LHP Thomas Dorminy went the seven-inning distance for the Eagles, allowed two earned runs on four hits, struck out eight. LF Esteban Paula went 2-for-2 with two RBI.

The Eagles visit Blue Mountain Feb. 14-15.

Missouri Baptist is 1-3; they lost 6-5 (12 innings) to Lindsey Wilson, and 5-4 to Cumberland. Derek Shugart hit an RBI triple in the 12th for the win for the Blue Raiders. Sam Ross got the win, pitched five innings in relief. DH Richie Seaton hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to win it for Cumberland. The Bulldogs out-hit the Spartans 11-5, and SS Josciel Veras went 3-for-3 with two RBI for the Bulldogs. The Spartans play Campbellsville Feb. 13, Saint Francis Feb. 14, and Belhaven Feb. 15; all three games are at Belhaven.

The Blue Raiders split a double-header with Auburn-Montgomery the following day, making their record 3-4. They visit Point Feb. 14-15.

The Bulldogs also split a double-header with Auburn-Montgomery, making their record 2-2. They host Union U. (TN) Feb. 11, and Taylor Feb. 14-15. The Warhawks are 5-3, and they visit Brewton-Parker Feb. 14-15.

A four-team tournament at #2 Lewis-Clark State was cancelled by snow. They host Division II Montana State-Billings Feb. 14-16.

RHP Keegan Yuhl, a transfer from Lee, pitched a no-hitter for #9 Concordia-Irvine in a 9-0 non-conference win over Antelope Valley. Yuhl threw 115 pitches, struck out 12, walked three. Story from Concordia-Irvine: Keegan Yuhl Throws First No-Hitter In Concordia History. The story includes three video clips; scroll down to see them. Box score.

The Eagles didn't just get a no-hitter and a three game sweep of Antelope Valley; all three games were shutouts, and the Eagles allowed only four hits for the series.

#12 The Master's won two of three at #22 San Diego Christian in a Golden State Athletic Conference matchup of two teams that were previously undefeated. The scores were 4-2, 8-11, and 3-1. The Mustangs got three runs on the top of the ninth inning to win the first game; 1B Josh Brown hit a two-RBI single to bring in the winning run. Jason Karkenny pitched two perfect innings to get the win in relief. 3B Jeff Lusardi hit a home run, a double, and five RBI for the Hawks in the second game. RHP Tucker Richardson pitched a seven-inning gem for the Mustangs in the third game; three hits, nine strikeouts, one walk. He was one out short of a shutout; Lusardi hit a home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The Mustangs visit Concordia-Irvine Feb. 7-8. The Hawks host #16 Cal State San Marcos Feb. 8.

The split between The Master's and San Diego Christian enabled Vanguard to take over first place in the GSAC. The Lions swept three games against Arizona Christian, 3-2, 4-2, and 2-1. The Lions were held to three hits by Ismael Castro in the first game, but all three Lions runs were unearned. CF Thomas Mobley hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to win the second game. Scott Torrey went the seven-inning distance for the Lions in the third game, didn't allow an earned run, allowed four hits, struck out six. The Lions visit Westmont Feb. 7-8. Live video

The South defeated the North 11-2 in the 2014 Sun Conference All-Star Game, played Jan. 18 in Babson Park, FL. Four of the South's runs were batted in by Ave Maria C Conor Sullivan, three of them on a bases-loaded double in the sixth inning. The winning run was also scored in the sixth, by Warner RF Justin Burgess on a single by Northwood (FL) DH Angel Garcia. Garcia went 2-for-5 with an RBI for the game.

Sullivan earned a Rawlings Gold Glove for the 2013 season. He batted .277, and wasn't charged with a single error.

The South used ten pitchers for the game, the North nine. The best pitching performance was turned in by Webber International RHP Josh Ganus of the North, who gave up an unearned run, but struck out three of the four batters he faced. Ganus is a transfer from North Carolina A&T, had a good summer with Leesburg of the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

Box score

The Faulkner University Eagles won their first-ever NAIA Baseball National Championship, defeating the Lewis-Clark State Warriors 11-4 in the final. RHP Johnny Shuttlesworth got his 16^th win of the season, and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. (The record for wins is 19, set by Dan Quisenberry in 1975.) He allowed 14 hits over 7 1/3 innings, but only four earned runs. He threw 122 pitches.

The Eagles got all the runs they needed in the second inning, jumping on Warriors starter RHP Ryan Sells. Sells also plays shortstop for the Warriors (he batted .338 for the season), and this was only his fifth start. The winning run came on a two-RBI single by DH Michael Cruz.

The Warriors had some chances to get back in the game. The best one was in the bottom of the fourth. They started the inning with two straight singles, and had the bases loaded with one out, but the Eagles turned the only double play of the game to get Shuttlesworth out of the jam.

RF David Bishop hit a solo home run in the seventh inning. He was 3-for-5 for the game, with two RBI and two runs scored. Cruz finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Attendance: 4,265

Cody Faulkner, a sophomore LHP from Irving, TX, pitched the fourth no-hitter in the history of the National Championship tournament, and the first since 1992. He led Northwood (TX) to a 1-0 win in an elimination game over Sterling.

Faulkner threw 94 pitches. He walked two, and they were the only baserunners the Warriors had. One of them was taken out in a double play.

The only run of the game came in the top of the first inning. 3B Logan Brumley hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a walk, and moved to third on a bunt single by SS Elvin Rodriguez. He scored on a sacrifice fly by C Adam Humes.

Warriors ace Steven Cazares went the distance for the Warriors. He threw 131 pitches, and came close to matching Faulker's performance. He allowed six hits, walked two, and struck out six.

Box score and play-by-play
NAIA press release

In other action, York was eliminated with a 4-1 loss to Rogers State. #1 Faulkner won their opening game in another good pitching duel, 2-0 over Missouri Baptist. Johnny Shuttlesworth and Labradford Griffis combined for the shutout. Shuttlesworth got his 15th win of the year, went seven innings, allowed five hits, struck out four. C Zac Colby singled in both runs of the game in the seventh inning.

Lee defeated Lewis-Clark 14-11. Lee 1B Karsten Strieby hit a home run that cleared the center field fence.

Schedule for Monday, May 27 (all times PDT):

9 AM: Rogers State vs. Missouri Baptist (loser out)
noon: Northwood vs. Lewis-Clark State (loser out)
3 PM: The Master's vs. Faulkner
6:30 PM: Embry-Riddle vs. Lee

The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (“Railroaders”) split a Mexican League double-header at home against the Saraperos de Saltillo (“Serape Makers”) on May 15. The Rieleros won the first game 7-3, and lost the second game 10-4. A double-header (two seven-inning games) was played because of a rainout the previous night.

First game: The starters were Fredy Quintero for the Rieleros, and Victor Garate for the Saraperos. Quintero was in the Dodgers organization in 2008 and 2009. Garate, a Venezuelan left-hander, made four appearances for the Nationals in 2009. He was in the Astros, Dodgers, and Brewers organizations from 2005 to 2012.

Neither of the starters lasted very long. The Saraperos opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by CF Jesus Cota in the top of the first. The Rieleros answered with an RBI single by CF Rene Reyes and a two-RBI double by 1B Willis Otanez. (Otanez played three games for the Orioles in 1998, and split the 1999 season between the Orioles and Blue Jays; he hit seven home runs in 1999.)

In the top of the third inning, Rufino Candelario reached first on an error with one out. He was forced out at second when 3B Henry Mateo hit a ground ball, and Mateo reached on a fielder's choice. (Mateo is a Dominican Republican who played six seasons with the Expos/Nationals.) The Saraperos then executed a perfect hit-and-run. Daniel Castro hit a slash bunt toward the shortstop, and Mateo had a good enough head start so that there was no play. A walk loaded the bases, but a fly out ended the inning with the bases loaded.

Missouri Baptist will be making their first-ever trip to the National Championship tournament. They defeated defending champion Tennessee Wesleyan 4-3 (19 innings) in the “if necessary” game of the Kingsport bracket. The Spartans led 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, and starter Ethan Gibbons held the Bulldogs to seven hits over the first eight innings; the only run he allowed was on a wild pitch. The Spartans got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by C Garrett Vail, and two runs in the seventh on a home run by DH Joe Stropp. Gibbons got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth, but the next two batters got base hits. The next batter hit a ground ball to second that should have ended the game, but it was bobbled, and a run scored. The Bulldogs sent it into extra innings with an RBI single by CF Travis Burnside.

The Bulldogs left the winning run on third in the bottom of the tenth and 15th. The Spartans left the bases loaded in the top of the 12th, and left runers on second in the tenth, 13th, 14th, and 16th innings. The Spartans got the winning run when SS Patrick Johnson opened the 19th with a single, went to second on a walk, and was bunted to third. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Vail.