Orlando Olivera had three hits, one a triple, on Wednesday (Photo courtesy: Bill Meyers)

Third-seeded Cumberland (Tenn.) opened a 3-0 lead after two innings, and got past top-seeded Missouri Baptist, 6-4, on Wednesday afternoon in the 2014 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round – Kingsport, TN Bracket.  With the win, the Bulldogs (now 43-19 on the year) force a winner take all bracket championship game Thursday afternoon at 12 noon (weather permitting) with the Spartans. Missouri Baptist fell to 47-13 with the loss.

In the first, Cumberland took advantage of a Missouri Baptist fielding error, scoring a run on a Sam Lind RBI sacrifice fly to go up 1-0. In the second, the Bulldogs used a two-out rally to plate two more runs, as Chris Hall laced a two-RBI single up the middle to give Cumberland a three-run lead after two innings.

Missouri Baptist cut the Cumberland lead down to a single run in the top of the third with two runs, making it a 3-2 game, but that was the closest the Spartans got to the lead all game. In the sixth, Cumberland put the game away, scoring three runs (all with two outs) to go up 6-2.

MBU scored twice in the seventh to cut the Cumberland lead down to two runs, but that was the last time the Spartans made a run at the lead the rest of the game. In the ninth, Bulldog pitcher Clint Meadows finished off a complete game victory, lifting the Bulldogs to the two-run win.  Missouri Baptist was led in the loss by Orlando Olivera, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Starting pitcher Michael Yarborough (10-1) was tabbed with the loss for the Spartans on the mound.

Chris Cordova pitches for Missouir-Baptist (Photo Courtesy: Bill Meyers)

No. 5 seed Culver-Stockton (Mo.) gave top-seeded Missouri Baptist all it could handle, but in the end, the Spartans pulled out an 11-10 win in the third game of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round in the Kingsport, TN Bracket.

With the win, Missouri Baptist (46-12 overall) advances to face No. 3 seed Cumberland (Tenn.) on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Culver-Stockton (30-27 overall) plays at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of the Bryan and Brewton-Parker elimination game at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

In the ninth, the Spartans had two on with one out when Jeff Smith doubled to push the go-ahead run across. Culver-Stockton got two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but a flyout to center ended the threat.

Elsewhere, In Lawrenceville, Georgia, third seeded Williams Woods/Fulton lost 11-5 to second seeded Southeastern Florida.  The Owls play an elimination game at 11.

Missouri Baptist outfielder Ryan Gunhouse slapped a single over the head of the Rogers State (Okla.) third baseman to score Patrick Johnson for second base, as the No. 9 Spartans rallied to knock off the defending national runner-up and tenth seeded Hillcats, 5-4, Monday afternoon in game nine of the 2013 NAIA Baseball World Series at Harris Field. With the win, Missouri Baptist (37-13), who is making its first appearance at the World Series, advances to play No. 2 Lee (Tenn.) at 5 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. Rogers State (36-24) is eliminated from the championship.

Johnson, the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year, picked the perfect time to extend his hitting streak to eight games as the senior shortstop beat out a dribbler to first base for an infield single and advanced to second when the Rogers State first baseman threw it over the head of the covering pitcher to start the ninth. Gunhouse wasted no time driving in Johnson with a single on the next pitch.

Matt Marsh threw three innings of scoreless relief to earn the win and improve to 3-4 on the season. Marsh has now thrown four innings, allowed no runs and only two hits at this year’s World Series.  Missouri Baptist catcher Garrett Vail extended his hitting streak to nine games and finished 1-for-4.

For the first time in Missouri Baptist University baseball history, the Spartans will play in the NAIA World Series after beating the defending national champion, Tennessee Wesleyan, in a 19-inning marathon on Monday afternoon, 4-3.  With their win in the championship game of the Kingsport Bracket, the Spartans will move onto Lewiston, ID., for bracket play from May 24-31. Missouri Baptist’s 19-inning victory was the longest in NAIA National Championship Opening Round history.

Down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Tennessee Wesleyan was down to its final out and mounted a comeback. Missouri Baptist was up 3-1 and looked to be on the verge of winning the game, but Tennessee Wesleyan came back to tie it with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the ninth.

In the top of the 19th, with bases loaded and one out, Garrett Vail hit a sacrifice fly to score what became the game-winning run. Missouri Baptist’s Matt Marsh closed the game out after tossing a season-high six innings in relief.

NAIA World Series bracket

The Spartans will open play at 9 a.m. on Friday the 24th against Sterling, KS.

Missouri Baptist lost in the regional finals to Lee University in the Cleveland, TN regional in the opening round of the NAIA World Series Baseball Tournament by the final score of 8-5.

Lee went right to work in the opening inning. With one out Blake Barber, who finished the day with two hits, singled and Roberto Reyes reached on a throwing error. Barber raced all the way to third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Corey Davis, who was the only other Flames with two hits in the nine-hit attack. After Mike Moore singled, Trevor Burgess drove home Reyes with a one-base knock. It was the seventh hit in five games for Burgess, who also finished the series with four RBI and five runs scored.

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Down to their final three outs of the season, the Lee Flames baseball team staged a dramatic ninth inning comeback, scoring three runs to defeat Missouri Baptist University, 4-3, Saturday evening at Olympic Field.

Lee (53-9-1) advanced to Saturday evening’s contest with a 13-0 win over Avila University (Mo.), in the afternoon game. The Flames and Missouri Baptist will now return for a winner-take-all championship, Monday at 1 p.m., for a trip to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.

Game 2: Flames 4, Spartans 3

Lee struggled to get to Missouri Baptist starter Julien Soucy (6-3) the entire evening, scratching just a single run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly scoring Trevor Burgess, following a triple.  After loading the bases in the ninth, the Spartans went to the bullpen, but to no avail as the Flames hit a pair of RBI singles and a sacrifice fly by Jorge Saez to score the winning run.

Matt Passauer was the solid on the mound for the Flames, throwing 3 2/3 innings of no-hit relief to keep the Flames in the contest. The senior moves to 2-0 with the shut-down performance. Burgess and Edmanuel Rivera each had a pair of hits in the win, as the Flames totaled eight. Rivera tallied a pair of RBI, with Burgess scoring once and knocking in one run.

For the Spartans (39-15), Kyle Hardy earned a pair of hits, scoring once.

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