LEWISTON, Idaho—The top-seeded Fire ended their stay at the Avista NAIA World Series on Tuesday with an 8-6 loss in the final game of the elimination bracket to sixth-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan.
The teams traded blows as the Fire struck first with an RBI ground out by
Alfonso Villalobos in the first to score
Cristopher Munoz and was answered by the Bulldogs in the second with an RBI ground out.
Villalobos gave the Fire the lead back in the third with an RBI single to once again plate Munoz. Again, the Bulldogs responded with a two-out RBI double.
Following a 45-minute lightning delay, the Bulldogs plated two in the fifth on a wild pitch and a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt. TWU pushed the lead to four in the sixth with a two-run single.
Southeastern did not have a baserunner in the fifth or sixth innings, but got an RBI double from Munoz, who then scored on an error to get back within two.
Gary Lora then tied the game with an two-run single through the left side of the infield.
Munoz finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored to lead the offense.
In the eighth, Tennessee Wesleyan got a two-run single to left to regain the lead for good. Southeastern threatened in the ninth with a lead off single, but back-to-back pop outs hurt momentum. A walk to
Isaac Nunez brought the go-ahead run to the plate but a ground out ended the contest.
Luis Gonzalez added a pair of hits to the Fire box score.
Five different pitchers saw time on the pitcher's mound for the Fire with
Danny Batcher starting and allowing three earned on five hits over five innings. The junior struck out five and walked four.
Ramsey David took the loss after surrendering two earned on three hits in an inning of work.
Reece Wissinger worked a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts and a ground out on nine pitches.
