LAKELAND, Fla. – The ABAC Stallions battled the Briar Cliff Chargers for a full eight innings Monday night before the visitors from Iowa put together a four-run ninth inning to win 8-4 in the first game of the NAIA Opening Round in the National Baseball Tournament.
ABAC, now 35-15, will face the loser of Tuesday's first game between Central Methodist (Mo.) and Arizona Christian in an elimination game Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The Eagles and the Firestorm open Tuesday's play at 11 a.m.
The rain pushed all of Monday's action back several hours and the wait appeared to affect ABAC early on. Briar Cliff came out swinging as three consecutive Chargers singled with one out to score the game's first run. Diego Trujillo then scored on a fielder's choice before the Stallions committed errors on back to back plays to allow another run to score for an early 3-0 for Briar Cliff.
Briar Cliff added a lone run in the fifth on Nico Sall's solo home run to right field before ABAC finally got going in the bottom of the inning.
Joe Fisher walked and
Cameron Campbell singled to start the inning before Fisher went to third on
Chasin Cash's fly ball to right field. Campbell stole second base and the throw from the Charger catcher sailed into center field, allowing Fisher to score to make It 4-1.
Harrison Childers reached on a fielder's choice and
Parker Wallace singled to set the stage for shortstop Quentin Rawls. As he has done countless times this year, the sophomore responded with a three-run blast to left field to tie the game at 4-4.
After the rocky first, Stallion starter
Kade Haywood settled in to pitch well before allowing consecutive base hits in the sixth. With one out and two on, reliever
Owen Lamb relieved Haywood and ended the threat with two quick outs. Meanwhile, Briar Cliff starter Nick Hays pitched a great game the bottom of the seventh when Rawls came up with two men on and two outs Briar Cliff's 6-foot-8 reliever Johnny Reed induced a infield fly to escape his jam as well and the game remain tied.
But the Chargers made the most of their opportunities to win it in the ninth. Cade Marquardt led off with a double down the left field line and pinch runner Cy Patterson went to third on a wild pitch with one out. After a walk to Cam Riemer, Raenan Padilla reached on a Stallion error which allowed Patterson and Riemer to score for a 6-4 lead. Still with two outs, Rance Bryant and Jake Chronic had back-to-back hits to drive in runs and suddenly it was 8-4. Reed sat the Stallions down in order in the bottom of the inning to record the win.
The Chargers outhit ABAC 15-6 but also left 14 men on base compared to three for the Stallions. Campbell was ABAC's only player with two hits. Briar Cliff, the tournament's fifth seed, will play top seed Southeastern Tuesday at 2 p.m. in a winner's bracket game.
