<p data-end="445" data-start="180"><strong>LAKELAND, Fla. —</strong> The Southeastern University baseball team continued its tradition of winning their first game at the NAIA Opening Round, defeating Briar Cliff (Iowa) 6-2 on Tuesday afternoon at Ted A. Broer Stadium in their opener in the NAIA Baseball National Championship.</p>
<p data-end="673" data-start="447">The win marked the eighth consecutive year SEU has claimed victory in its Opening Round opener, and the Fire did it behind a stellar performance on the mound from
Reece Wissinger and a four-run second inning that set the tone.</p>
<p data-end="964" data-start="675">After a quiet first frame, Southeastern capitalized on a pair of Charger miscues in the second. Two errors and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, setting up
Tyler Hinrikus and
John Rossi for back-to-back RBI singles as part of a four-run surge. That was all the support Wissinger would need.</p>
<p data-end="1217" data-start="966">The senior right-hander improved to 8-0 on the year, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out eight. Wissinger allowed only one hit in the first, sixth, and seventh innings, and faced minimal pressure throughout.</p>
<p data-end="1610" data-start="1219">Offensively, SEU managed just seven hits but made them count. Rossi led the way with two RBI singles, while
Alfonso Villalobos launched a leadoff solo home run in the fifth and scored twice.
Jon Paul Pennella added an RBI single, and
Charlie Collins,
Nick Streuer, and Hinrikus also contributed hits.
Jacob Gumieny scored a run as a pinch runner.</p>
<p data-end="2156" data-start="1955">The Fire extended their lead to 6-0 in the fifth when Villalobos blasted his solo shot, followed by a two-out rally that saw Streuer single and Hinrikus walk ahead of Rossi's second RBI hit of the day.</p>
<p data-end="2462" data-start="2158">
Anthony Ortiz and
Olvis Genao handled the final two innings on the mound. Ortiz struck out two in a clean eighth, while Genao closed out the ninth, recording two strikeouts. Briar Cliff managed a two-run homer in the final frame after a one-out double, but Genao quickly settled in to finish off the win.</p>
<p data-end="1610" data-start="1219">With the win, the Fire (42-13) advance to the Winner's Bracket of the five-team Lakeland bracket and will face Arizona Christian at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Southeastern defeated the Firestorm earlier this season, 7-0, in a January 29 meeting at the same venue. However, Arizona Christian got the better of SEU in their last postseason meeting, a 5-3 win in the 2024 NAIA World Series.</p>
<hr data-end="2579" data-start="2576" />
