Tennessee Wesleyan Still Alive in NAIA World Series

LEWISTON, Idaho - Tennessee Wesleyan is the No. 2 seed at the 2022 Avista-NAIA World Series, but the Bulldogs got off to a rocky start with a 7-4 loss to Faulkner (Ala.) in their opener. However, Tennessee Wesleyan came back to win 3-2 over Bellevue (Neb.) on Monday to remain in contention.

The Avista-NAIA World Series is being held on the campus of Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho.

On Saturday, Tennessee Wesleyan found itself in a hole early on. Faulkner scored two in the second and added three in the sixth for a 5-0 advantage. The Bulldogs came back with three of their own in the seventh thanks to a Zach Hogueisson two-run home run and a Carson Ford RBI double. Down 6-3 in the eighth, Livan Reinoso homed to bring Tennessee Wesleyan within two, but Faulkner added an insurance run in the ninth to secure the 7-4 win.

Tennessee Wesleyan then played an elimination game against Bellevue on Monday and held on for the 3-2 victory. The Bulldogs built a 3-0 lead by scoring a run in the first, seventh, and eighth innings. However, Bellevue made things interesting with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to cut the margin to 3-2. Liam Doolan, though, struck out two as part of a 1-2-3 ninth inning to lock down the save and the 3-2 Bulldog win.

Braxton Turner went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run for Tennessee Wesleyan.

Tennessee Wesleyan faces Webber International (Fla.) in another elimination game at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

For full details on the Avista-NAIA World Series, click here.