BOX SCORE

POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH COLLIN JANSSEN

Abilene, Texas – American Southwest Conference West Division Player of the Year Collin Janssen went 2-for-4 with a home run and Scott Hays picked up his third postseason victory in as many appearances to lead the sixth-seeded Concordia University Texas baseball team to a 5-2 win over top-seeded Linfield in the opening game of the NCAA West Regional on Wednesday, May 18 at Walt Driggers Field. The Tornados, who avenged a 17-4 loss to the Wildcats earlier in the season and have won six postseason games in a row, will face Trinity tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Concordia (31-15), which was making its first NCAA appearance since advancing to the College World Series in 2002, got on the board first in the fourth inning after Linfield left the bases loaded in its half of the third. Robert Brown blasted a double to score Janssen, who started the inning with a single, and Kyle Bieschke belted an RBI single to right to plate Brown and double the Tornado lead at 2-0. Janssen then homered to left in the top of the sixth to make it 3-0.

Linfield (31-10), which is ranked fifth in the country in both national polls, started chipping away at the deficit by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth. After Hays was relieved by Ryan Ullmann with the bases loaded and nobody out, Gunnar Cederberg forced in a run by drawing a walk and Eric Evenson plated another run on the following play when he grounded out to Matt McManemin at second. Ullmann got out of the jam by striking out Dustin Smith with two runners in scoring position.

The Tornados added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh to produce the final outcome. Bucky Bryant and Brent Schaekel hit consecutive singles to start the frame and came home on a sacrifice fly to deep left center by Justin Beasley and an RBI single to left by Brown. Ullmann retired the last nine batters he faced, and did not allow the ball to get out of the infield in the eighth and ninth innings, to seal the victory.

Hays improved to 3-1 overall, including 3-0 in the postseason, by picking up the victory on the mound for Concordia. He surrendered seven hits and two runs, including one earned, in five innings of work. Ullmann picked up his fourth save, and third in the Tornados' last four postseason games, by allowing no runs and only one hit over four innings of relief. He struck out two and walked one. Ryan Larson suffered the loss and dropped to 7-3 for Linfield, which left 10 runners on base. He gave up nine hits and five runs, including four earned, while fanning seven hitters and walking only two.

Concordia will play fourth-seeded Trinity, which was dealt a 3-2 loss by Redlands, tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
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#6 Concordia (31-15)      000      201      200      5    13    1
#1 Linfield (31-10)            000      002      000      2     8     5
     Concordia: Scott Hays, Ryan Ullmann (6) and Collin Janssen.
     Linfield: Ryan Larson, Spencer Crepeaux (8) and Cole Bixenman.