Tennessee Wesleyan University became a two-time baseball national champion Friday night with a 6-2 win over St. Thomas in the final game of the 2019 Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. It ended about 12:45 a.m. EDT Saturday.
The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs (56-10) scored in the top of the first inning and led the rest of the way, stretching their advantage to 5-0 before Joey Thompson hit a solo home run in the fifth for the sixth-seeded Bobcats (49-15) from Miami Gardens, Florida.
TWU’s Cole Bellair pitched into the seventh, when Chris Garabedian homered for the second time in two games against the Bulldogs and Daniel Mondejar followed a one-out Thompson walk with a single. Jerry Ochoa relieved Bellair and got a line-out double play, then pitched a one-hit eighth. Irving Martin took care of the ninth.
TWU second baseman Bryce Giles was voted MVP of the NAIA World Series and also won the Charles Berry Hustle Award, and Bellair, catcher Shamoy Christopher, center fielder Tyler Reichenborn and left fielder Braden Mosley joined him on the all-tournament team. Reichenborn won the Gold Glove Award.
As they had throughout the season, the Bulldogs drew inspiration from 8-year-old Neyland Pickel from Athens, who is battling cancer for the third time. He threw the ceremonial first pitch before the championship game.