Comeback bid falls short in WS opener
Despite battling back from a four-run deficit the Bellevue University baseball team fell, 6-4, to William Carey University on Day One of the 2023 Avista NAIA World Series.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 6 | 10 | 1 |
LEWISTON, Idaho -- Despite battling back from a four-run deficit the Bellevue University baseball team fell, 6-4, to William Carey University on Day One of the 2023 Avista NAIA World Series.
Bellevue saw their 10-game winning streak snapped, slipping to 48-9 while William Carey won their fourth straight to improve to 48-9.
Rigoberto Hernandez ripped two-out, two-run doubles in the first and fifth to give WCU a 4-0 lead.
Kanta Kobayashi recorded an outfield assist to cut down a third run on Hernandez's first inning double and added a diving catch later in the game in his bid for a national Gold Glove.
William Carey starter Andrew Shirah allowed a pair of first inning hits but was nearly unhittable for five innings before encountering trouble in the seventh.
Dustin Schorie worked six innings and struck out seven. The damage incurred by Hernandez's timely hitting being the only runs he allowed. He walked four despite entering the game having issued just 11 free passes all season.
After getting the first out to begin the seventh, Shirah allowed three-straight base-runners with Tradd Richardson singling home Anthony Lind with BU's first run before escaping further damage.
Kenji Miller worked around a pair of runners in the seventh to keep the momentum on the Bruins' side.
Shirah finished struck out four and issued five walks while allowing three runs on four hits in 7+ innings as neither starter factored in the decision.
Lane Jarreau replaced Shirah in the eighth as Mathieu Sirois greeted him by blasting an elevated pitch over the outside corner over the right field fence to tie the game. Jarreau retired the next two batters before issuing a free pass and Preston Ratliff came on to finish off the inning.
The Crusaders answered with a pair of runs, both charged the Miller, in the eighth courtesy of a double by RJ Stinson and sac fly off the bat of Jake Lycette. Both runs were charged to Miller with Alexandro Celiceo retiring both batters he pitched to, an intentional pass sandwiched between.
Bellevue went 1-2-3 in the ninth with WCU center fielder Patrick Lee ending the game on a diving catch to rob Nick Grade of a base hit.
Ratliff (5-3) collected the win striking out a pair in 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Miller (2-1) took the loss for Bellevue.
Up Next:
Bellevue faces the loser of tonight's game between Indiana Wesleyan and Lewis-Clark State tomorrow at 11:35 a.m. local time – 1:35 p.m. central – in an elimination game.
Notes:
- Bellevue falls to 8-8 in World Series Openers
- The Bruins drop to 9-7 when allowing 6+ runs, 15-8 when their opponent scores first, and 4-6 when scoring fewer than five runs
- Bellevue is 17-14 all-time in elimination games at the World Series
- Mathieu Sirois' eighth inning home run was the 25th of his BU career, moving him into sole possession of ninth on the all-time Bruin home run list
