KINGSPORT, Tenn. - In what was clearly a tale of two games - spread out over two days, top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan College rallied for a 5-3 victory and the 2009 Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament title over No. 2 seed Union College Thursday.

Union dropped to 43-10 following the loss, while Tennessee Wesleyan improved to 43-13.

Both teams have qualified for the NAIA World Series Opening Round Tournament, and the 45-team field will be released Friday.

The game began Wednesday, and things looked good for Union as it built a 3-0 lead and the owned a 3-1 advantage in the fourth. However, constant rains forced the game to be suspended at around 8 p.m., and the game was resumed Thursday at 11 a.m.

Tennessee Wesleyan made the most of the 'new' start. Senior Jon Swartout took the mound for Tennessee Wesleyan when the resumed and handcuffed the Union batters. He tossed 4 2/3 innings and gave up no runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

Swartout did this after tossing a complete-game shutout over Milligan (Tenn.) College Monday.

Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Tennessee Wesleyan had runners on the corners with no outs when Brad Pippa lined a double to cut the margin to 3-2. After a walk loaded the bases, Brandon Daggett lined a single to tie the game at 3-3 and Matt Stanley lofted a sac fly to put Tennessee Wesleyan up 4-3.

It remained a one-run contest until the bottom of the eighth when Brandon Munsey hit a solo home run to give Tennessee Wesleyan a 5-3 cushion.

Union threatened though in the top of the ninth. Swartout was able to get the first two batters out, but a single by Lioney Henriquez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a walk to Joe Grinstead (Bowling Green, Ky.) give Union life.

In a daring move, Henriquez and Grinstead each stole a base to put runners on second and third. However, reliever Gabe Rios struck Troy Sitton (Cobden, Ill.) out swinging to end the game.

Jason Parsons (Hamilton, Ohio) suffered the loss, dropping him to 6-2 on the year as he gave up three runs, one earned, on three hits and one walk. Starter Chaz Bargo (Artemus, Ky.) pitched well for Union, giving up one earned run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. But the rain forced him out of the game.

Offensively, Chris Daniels (Wappinger Falls, N.Y.) led Union in going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

For Tennessee Wesleyan, Pippa was the hero as he went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Union grabbed the early advantage Wednesday with a three-run third inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Sitton hit a sac fly to score the game's first run. After a Josh Ehringer (Somerset, Ky.) single reloaded the bases, Daniels delivered a two-out, two-run single to give Union a 3-0 advantage.

Tennessee Wesleyan got a run back in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a Pippa solo home run to left, making it a 3-1 contest.

Then with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the rains came. And it poured and poured, forcing the game to be resumed Thursday.