LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The #24 Louisiana Christian University baseball team got a walk-off, pinch hit, two-run home run from
Gavin Vordick in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win over the #23 Marian Knights to advance to the winner's bracket in the Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Monday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College.
#24 Louisiana Christian (36-13), the two-seed in the bracket, struck first in the second inning as
Matthew Cody led off the frame with a blast to left for a 1-0 lead.
#23 Marian (35-17), the bracket's three-seed, tied it up in the fourth inning as a lead off single and a one-out double tied the score.
The Wildcats didn't waste much time reclaiming the lead as
Drake Aldridge led off the bottom of the frame with a base hit back up Broadway. He moved to second on a wild pitch with one out, setting up
Harrison Waxley who found the fence in the right-center gap for a double to trade places with Aldridge to make it 2-1 LCU.
LCU's defense came up with a big play in the top of the fifth to maintain the lead. The Knights got a two-out base runner following a base hit back up the middle and the next batter buried a base hit down the left field line and into the corner for a double. But Cody found
Caleb Brown who made the relay throw to
Jake Messina and Messina applied the tag onto the runner trying to score from first to end the inning and keep the advantage.
With the Wildcats three outs from advancing, the Knights found their offense. A lead-off walk was sacrificed over to second, and then a RBI single and a RBI double on back-to-back hits gave Marian its first lead of the game at 3-2 before
Owen Simoneaux came on to put out the fire, getting the two batters he faced out to keep it a one run game.
Brown led off the bottom of the ninth by dropping a base hit into left-center. Waxley laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Brown into scoring position. Brown's position on the base paths would not end up mattering as Vordick was called on to pinch hit and took a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left, into the LCU bullpen for the walk-off home run to move the Wildcats into Tuesday's winner's bracket game.
Vordick's walk-off was his fourth home run of the season and came in his only plate appearance of the contest, accounting for his two RBI and run scored.
Cody's home run was also his fourth of the season. He was 2-for-4 at the plate with the home run accounting for his lone RBI and run scored in the contest.
Aldridge was also 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Brown was 1-for-3 with a run scored with both the hit and run coming in the ninth inning.
Waxley was also 1-for-3 with double and a RBI.
Simoneaux (5-1) got both batters he faced out to end the top of the ninth inning, needing just eight pitches to earn the win. He struck out one batter and got the other to fly out.
Kade Linn was masterful on the mound in the start, though he came up with a no decision. He went 7.1 innings, allowing six hits and one run, which was earned, and walked two while striking out a season-high 12 batters for the third time this year, throwing 135 total pitches in the contest.
Colton Williams threw an inning of relief, allowing three hits and two runs, both earned, with two walks and no strikeouts.
The Wildcats now move into the winner's bracket of the Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round, taking on the winner of Monday's final game which pits the top-seed and host, #3 Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies (46-6) against the five-seed, Talladega Tornadoes (33-17). First pitch of Tuesday's winner's bracket game is set for 2 p.m. CDT/3 p.m. EDT at the Grizzly Baseball Complex on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College.
