LEWISTON, Idaho—Walks, errors, and hit batsmen led to the end of the 2023 Southeastern baseball season with a 6-4 loss to Westmont in the penultimate game of the Avista NAIA World Series on Thursday.
Southeastern (58-6) issued seven walks, hit four batters, was called for a balk which scored a run, and committed a pair of defensive miscues in the contest.
"Any time you give up that many free passes in a situation where you felt you could control the game with them offensively, when you don't throw the ball over the plate, you're going to put yourself in a tough situation," said coach
Adrian Dinkel. "Those guys competed to the end and I'm proud of them."
A walk with the bases loaded in the third followed by the balk put Westmont up 2-1, answering
Chayce Bryant's fourth home run of the tournament and 23
rd of the season in the prior inning.
The first of two RBIs in the game by
Adonys Herrera in the game came on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third to tie the game and an RBI single to right by
Gary Lora gave the Fire the lead back.
In the fifth, the Warriors got a run on a sacrifice fly two batters after what looked like would be a double play ball, but the initial throw was off line.
Josh Pigozzo had a one-out double in the fifth and was brought home by Herrera to give the Fire a 4-3 lead.
In the sixth, Westmont regained the lead using a single, hit by pitch, and a walk to set up a two-run single through the left side of the infield. A two-out error in the seventh on a dropped fly ball increased the lead to two.
The Fire still had chances late, getting two on in the seventh with one out but a strikeout and a pop out ended the threat as the Fire had their last eight hitters of the game retired in order.
Jay Schueler retired the last seven hitters he saw in an effort to keep the game within reach, allowing one unearned run on one hit over three innings of work with three strikeouts.
"I'm proud of Jay and excited where he's at and having him as part of the program going forward," said Dinkel. "He worked and grinded and found a way to stay in it."
The first five in the Southeastern order were responsible for all 10 hits in the game with Pigozzo and Bryant posting three each.
This was the sixth season of 50+ wins in the last seven years with 2020 being the exception.
"When the expectations are to win the last game of the year in your program, you feel like you've created something special," said Dinkel. "But that's tough to put on any program where they feel like they have to win the last game of the year but they did a great job all year long."
