Tennessee Wesleyan College in World Series; Lee University alive

photo Taylor Comford, Lee University
Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

The sixth-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan College baseball team cruised into the NAIA World Series with a 14-4 win Saturday night against St. Francis (Ill.) at Kingsport, Tenn.

Second-ranked Lee University, meanwhile, won two losers-bracket games in the Opening Round Series it is hosting in Cleveland and plays again Monday at 1 p.m. After blitzing Avila 13-0 with the Flames collecting 20 hits and Lee pitchers Vince Spilker and Ryan Zimmer allowing just one, they scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 win over the Missouri Baptist team that gave them a 5-4 loss Friday.

Drew Levi's three-run double keyed a five-run third inning for Wesleyan (48-11), and his RBI single in the fifth put the Bulldogs ahead 6-0. David Kuhne hit a three-run homer for St. Francis (40-17) in the sixth, but Wesleyan took away all doubt with a seven-run eighth that featured a three-homer by Jordan Guida.

Stephen Branca was 4-for-5 with three runs, Levi was 3-for-5 with the four RBIs and Guida and Taylor Oldham each had two hits and three RBIs for TWC. Jake Stone was 2-for-3 with three runs, and starting pitcher Jeremy Fitzgerald improved to 10-0 in allowing five hits and three runs with six strikeouts in six innings.

If Lee's Flames (53-9-1) beat Missouri Baptist (39-15) again Monday, they will be 6-for-6 in seasons of reaching the World Series with Mark Brew as head coach. They have finished in the top three in Lewiston, Idaho, the last four years.

Against Avila, Corey Davis was 4-for-5, scored three runs and matched Mike Moore and Edmanuel Rivera with two RBIs each, while Trevor Burgess was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and Jorge Saez, Moore and Roberto Duran each was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Blake Barber was 2-for-5.

The Flames scored three runs in the first inning, four in the third and three in the fifth to gain a double-digit lead.

Saturday night's win was much tougher. Down 3-0 after single Missouri Baptist runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, Lee scored one in the seventh when Trevor Burgess tripled with two outs and Rivera singled him home.

In the ninth, Davis led off with a walk, Moore singled, Taylor Comford reached first on a failed fielder's choice on his pinch-hit bunt, Burgess singled home Davis, Rivera again singled in a run and Jorge Saez won the game with a one-out sacrifice fly.

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