No. 8 Seed Baseball Wins Longest Nine-Inning Game in Avista NAIA World Series History to Advance to Championship Game

LEWISTON, Idaho- The baseball team is championship bound! The eighth-seeded Bulldogs won the longest nine-inning game in Avista NAIA World Series history of four hours and 17 minutes against No. 10 seed William Carey University 16-14, their fifth elimination game win.

In a game that experienced a three-hour and 20 minute weather delay before it started, TWU scored in every inning, beginning with a sacrifice fly by Kolton Reynolds that Rob Gordon scored on. 

In the second inning, Hagen Escoto started the scoring, hitting a home run that brought in Ethan Wright in the process. Gordon hit a single that Allan Gil Fernandez scored on, moving the team's lead to 4-0. 

In the third inning, Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly that Brayan Espinoza scored on, giving the team a 5-0 lead to start the fourth inning. 

The fourth inning saw two home runs give the Bulldogs their runs. The first home run came off the bat of Josh Shelly, a solo home run to open the inning. Reynolds hit a two-run shot that would bring in David Ballenilla and give the team a 8-0 lead.

The teams traded runs in the fifth inning, with Tennessee Wesleyan scoring on a Shelly sacrifice fly that brought in Escoto. 

The game changed in the sixth inning as William Carey scored 10 runs to take a 13-9 lead. The Bulldogs scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, a fielder's choice on Escoto's hit that Espinoza scored on. 

TWU took back the lead in the seventh inning. Gordon stood on third as Reynolds hit a double, bringing in Gordon. Reynolds scored on the next hit, a single by Espinoza, bringing the team within one run. With Espinoza on second and Wright on first, Jacob Tolson hit a ball down the left field line that Espinoza scored on to tie the game. TWU ended the inning with the lead as Escoto hit a ball up the middle that pinch-runner Jonathan Bosque would score on, making the score 14-13. 

In the top of the eighth, William Carey tied the score. Shelly broke the tie in the bottom of the eighth, hitting a double that Gordon, who was already on third, scored on. A single by Ballenilla that also had an error on it allowed Shelly to score, giving the team an insurance run and a 16-14 score. Three straight outs in the top of the ninth gave the Bulldogs the 16-14 win.

TWU (48-15) move on to the championship game where they will face No. 1 seed Taylor University at 9:30 p.m. ET.