#1 Cumberland started the season with three losses in a tournament at Belhaven: 11-2 to #9 Missouri Baptist, 7-6 to Culver-Stockton, and 7-6 to #14 Belhaven. The Spartans led the first game all the way; the Bulldogs didn't get on the board until the seventh inning. David Mullins got the win, pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowed one run on five hits, struck out seven. C Jake Hillier hit a line drive for a sacrifice fly to score the winning run for the Wildcats in the second game. Ian Miller, who allowed only one hit over the final three innings, and recorded four strikeouts, got the win. In the third game, the Bulldogs left 11 men on base, and had the tying run on third when the game ended. The winning run scored when RF Joey Harris was hit by a pitch. Harris went 2-for-3, had two RBI and a run scored. The Bulldogs visit #23 Tennessee Wesleyan on Feb. 11, then have their home opener against Missouri Baptist Feb. 13-14.

Missouri Baptist is now 6-0. After the win over Cumberland, the Spartans defeated Belhaven 13-8 amd Culver-Stockton 10-5. LF Orlando Olivera went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, five RBI and three runs scored against Belhaven. Olivera got two more RBI against Culver-Stockton, and RF Eli Roundtree went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.

#2 Lewis-Clark State went to a tournament in Nampa and Caldwell, ID, and dropped their opener to Concordia-Portland 13-6, but they won the next three games: 5-4 over Division II Northwest Nazarene, 21-2 over #24 British Columbia, and 8-0 over C. of Idaho. Concordia broke open a close game by scoring seven runs in the bottom fo the seventh, led by a two-RBI double by C Nate Esposito. RHP Brad Bearden pitched the final 3 2/3 innings for the Cavaliers, allowed no runs on two hits. The Warriors scored two runs in the top of the ninth, on a two-RBI single by 1B Seth Brown, to take a 5-3 lead against Northwest Nazarene. The Crusaders made it 5-4 on an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth, but the game ended with 2B/3B Tyler Davis being tagged out five feet short of home plate by RHP Joe Mello. SS Max Whitt hit two home runs, one of them a grand slam, against British Columbia. RHP Beau Kerns pitched a three-hit shutout against C. of Idaho, struck out seven. Brown went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.

A 6-0 win over San Diego Christian. He threw 97 pitches. His brother Steve scored the winning run. Story from GSAC site: Jason Karkenny is Pitcher Perfect!

Both Concordia-Irvine and The Master's swept, and Concordia has a one-game lead over The Master's, Vanguard, and Westmont in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Concordia defeated Arizona Christian 9-7, 4-3 (11 innings), and 11-5. The Firestorm led the first game 7-2 with a grand slam home run by DH Cody Rose in the top of the fifth, but the Eagles answered with six runs in the bottom of the fifth, and tied it with a two-run home run by C Neil Lawhorn. The Eagles leaded the bases again, and the winning run was walked in. Isaiah Terrazas got the win in relief. The second game was close all the way. Lawhorn drew a walk with two out in the bottom of the 11^th, and was replaced by courtesy runner Ryan Land, who stole second, went to third on a throwing error, then scored on a passed ball. Starter Colin Orellana went 7 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on for hits. Nick Boyett got the win. The winning run in the third game came on a two-RBI double by RF Robert Shiroky. He got two more RBI with a triple earlier in the game, and had five RBI total. Starter Dillon Moran got the win. The Eagles also got a mid-week non-conference three-hit shutout over Bethesda, 6-0. Robbie Ingram went seven innings, allowed two hits, and RF Robert Shiroky and SS Spencer Nielsen hit home runs. The Eagles visit Biola Feb. 6-7, and La Sierra Feb. 8.

#5 Faulkner opened their season with two wins over LSU-Alexandria, 7-4 and 9-4, and another win over Northwood (FL), 4-2. 1B Jackson Webb hit a three-run home run in the first game; Victor Arche got the win. RF Nick Cain hit a two-run home run in the second game, and SS Edgar Figueroa hit a solo home run, had three RBI. C Cody Sos hit a home run for the winning run in the third game; starter Philip Anderson pitched six scoreless innings, allowed seven hits, struck out six. The Eagles host #8 Georgetown C. Feb. 6-7. Video

#6 Georgia Gwinnett won two of three against Blue Mountain, 19-7, 4-6, and 13-3. 3B Arsenio Watlington, of Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands and a transfer from Clarke, went 4-for-5 with a double and seven RBI in his debut with the Grizzlies; he reached base on every turn at bat. He also drew a walk and got hit by a pitch. Story RHP Jose Delmar of Maracaibo, Venezuela got the win in relief for the Toppers in the second game; he pitched the final 4 2/3 innings, allowed no runs on two hits, struck out six. Watlington went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBI in the third game. Sheldon Connor, who allowed no earned runs on six hits and struck out six, got the win. Story The Grizzlies host Talladega Feb. 6-7 (video).

#9 Missouri Baptist swept William Carey, 3-2 (9 innings, scheduled for 7), 9-1, and 11-8. CF Brian Poupore drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth for the winning run in the first game, and Marcus Crescentini struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth for the save. Brandon Zywicki got the win in the second game, pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed four hits, struck out six. Story 1B Aaron Pangilian went 3-for-6 with five RBI in the third game. The Spartans will play in a tournament at Belhaven against #1 Cumberland, #12 Belhaven, and Culver-Stockton Feb. 5-7. Cumberland plays Culver-Stockton on the 6^th, and Belhaven on the 7^th. (video).

#2 Lewis-Clark State opens their season in a tournament at Concordia-Portland Feb. 6-8. Updated Feb. 5: The entire tournament was moved to Caldwell and Nampa, ID due to bad weather on the Pacific Northwest Coast. L-C State plays Division II Northwest Nazarene and Concordia-Portland on the 6th, #24 British Columbia on the 7th, and C. of Idaho on the 8th. #24 British Columbia plays Northwest Nazarene on the 6th, C. of Idaho on the 7th, and Concordia on the 8th. (video) The Warriors then go on a California tour, starting at San Diego Christian on Feb. 10.

#3 Oklahoma Wesleyan opens their season at Lyon Feb. 5-7. (video) #4 Oklahoma Baptist opens at home against York Feb. 6-7.

The North won the sixth annual Sun Conference All-Star Game 14-10. The offensive standouts for the south were 3B Eric Santamaria of Saint Thomas and C Carlos Contreras of Northwood (FL). Both went 3-for-3; Santamaria had three RBI, and Contreras had two. For the North, Dylan Heiring of Warner and RHP Sean Stanislawski of Webber International both struck out all three batters they faced. (All of the pitchers in the game pitched one inning.) Story

Conference play has already started in the Golden State Athletic Conference, with all eight teams in action. And, the two teams predicted to be the best in the conference, Concordia-Irvine and The Master's, played each other, at Irvine. Concordia won the first two games, 7-5 and 10-0, and The Master's won the third, 4-2. 1B Daniel Shine singled in the winning run in the first game. He also stole a base, and scored two runs. Story He went 2-4 with four RBI in the second game. Colin Orellana and Garrett Kraemer combined for the shutout; Kraemer allowed only two hits over the last four innings. In the third game, CF-RHP Steve Karkenny picked up from where he left off last year. He drew a walk and scored the winning run (on a double by 1B Collin Nyenhuis) in the top of the sixth, then moved to the mound in the bottom of the sixth, retired all five batters he faced, and got a save. Nyenhuis went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and two RBI. Story

Concordia hosts Arizona Christian Jan. 30-31 (video) and The Master's hosts Biola Jan. 30-31 (video). #5 Faulkner opens their season hosting LSU-Alexandria Jan. 30-31, and Northwood (FL) Jan. 31-Feb. 1. #6 Georgia Gwinnett host Blue Mountain Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (video). #9 Missouri Baptist visits William Carey Jan. 30; the Spartans were ranked #1 by Perfect Game (click here for their rankings).