SEU, TWU Remain Undefeated in Kingsport Bracket
KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Day One of the 2018 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round - Kingsport Bracket came and went with all the top seeds coming up victorious.
No. 4 seed Clarke (Iowa) scored a 7-4 win over fifth-seeded Trinity Christian (Ill.) in the opening before No. 2 seed Tennessee Wesleyan delivered an 11-2 win over No. 3 seed Madonna (Mich.). Top-seeded Southeastern (Fla.) wrapped up the day with an 8-6 decision over Clarke.
Here is the schedule for Tuesday:
Game 4 - No. 5 Trinity Christian (34-22) vs. No. 3 Madonna (36-17) - 11 a.m.
Game 5 - No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan (38-19) vs. No. 1 Southeastern (52-7) - 2:30 p.m.
Game 6 - No. 4 Clarke (36-22-1) vs. Game 4 Winner - 6 p.m.
The entire tournament will be streamed live online on the AAC Digital Network and is free to watch. (NOTE: The AAC Digital Network can be viewed on ROKU, AppleTV, and other streaming devices.)
Live and complete tournament stats are also available. In-game updates will also be available on Twitter on the @AACSports account.
For more on the tournament, visit the tournament page.
Game 1 - Clarke 7, Trinity Christian 4
A five-run eighth inning proved to be the difference as Clarke rallied for the 7-4 victory.
Down 4-2, the Pride lined four hits and took advantage of two walks in pushing five runs across. An R.J. Asuncion sac fly provided the go-ahead run, and another sac fly and an Evan Faccenda RBI single gave Clarke a three-run cushion.
Faccenda and Asuncion each drove in two runs to lead the Pride offense.
Game 2 - Tennessee Wesleyan 11, Madonna 2
Tennessee Wesleyan posted a run in seven out of the nine innings en route to the 11-2 victory.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Crusaders pushed a run across. Madonna made it 4-2 after four innings, but Tennessee Wesleyan accounted for the final seven runs of the game in collecting the nine-run victory.
Dakota Phillips drove in three runs on 2-of-4 hitting, and Tyler Halas scored three runs.
Game 3 - Southeastern 8, Clarke 6
Southeastern overcame a 4-0 deficit to rally for the 8-6 decision.
Down 4-1 in the fourth, the Fire broke loose for four runs to grab a 5-4 lead. Dan Valerio lined a two-run home run to give Southeastern the one-run lead.
Southeastern tacked on three runs in the seventh, which proved to be vital as Clarke scratched out a pair in the eighth to make it 8-6.
Valerio, Ivan Nunez, and Dominic Anagnos each finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
