KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The eighth-seeded Montreat College baseball team saw its incredible Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament journey come to an end on Friday night as the Cavaliers dropped an 11-4 decision to the third-seeded and No. 16-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs. One of the final three squads remaining in the bracket, the Cavs were unable to overcome TWU's early offensive surge. As a result of the contest, Montreat concluded the AAC Tournament with a 34-21 (14-13 AAC) record, while the Bulldogs advanced to tomorrow's championship game with a 39-14 (20-7 AAC) record.
Jumping out to a quick lead, Tennessee Wesleyan put up crooked numbers during the initial two frames. The designated home team ultimately scored in each of the first four innings, seizing a 9-0 advantage in the process. A pair of run-producing extra-base hits and five RBI singles did most of the heavy lifting during TWU's scoring spree.
Refusing to fold, Montreat broke through with a trio of runs in the fifth.
Jason Brulport,
Gabriel Ferrell and
Gustavo Gonzalez all singled to open the frame, loading the bases.
Hunter Furches' infield hit brought home Brulport, while
Kaden Ethier's sacrifice fly scored Ferrell. A double steal resulted in Gonzalez swiping home to cap off the inning.
In the seventh, Tennessee Wesleyan added two more runs, creating some additional breathing room. A double to right center plated a pair and extended the Bulldogs' edge to 11-3 through seven frames.
The Cavaliers scratched across one in the top of the ninth to round out the scoring account.
Zachary Long walked to begin the inning, and he sprinted home on a single by Gonzalez. However, the final out was recorded two batters later, sealing TWU's 11-4 triumph.
Ja'Lan Chambers started the game for Montreat, pitching 1 2/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on five hits, with one strikeout and four walks.
Trevor Laughlin relieved Chambers and hurled 4 2/3 frames, giving up four earned runs on 13 hits with three strikeouts.
Nick Kantzavelos closed the game, contributing 1 2/3 scoreless innings, while striking out two and surrendering just one hit.
Justin Austin tied for a team-high with two hits. Long scored a run, collected a base knock and drew a walk. Gonzalez added two hits, drove in a run and swiped a base. Furches recorded a hit, an RBI and a stolen bag.
"Our guys showed a lot of fight," said Head Coach
Jason Beck. "It's not the result we wanted at the end, but if you think about it from last year, going from 21 wins to 34 wins, I think the improvement has been amazing. Even today, being down 9-0 after four innings, our guys could've just cashed it in, but they kept fighting and finished the whole game."
The Montreat College baseball team ended its AAC Tournament run with a trio of wins, bringing its year-long record to 34-21 (14-13 AAC). The 34 wins are the most in a single season under Beck's leadership.
