BOX SCORE

INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN BEASLEY

Richardson, Texas – Justin Beasley went 3-for-4 with a homer and four runs batted in and Pedro Maldonado hurled his third complete game of the season on the mound to propel the Concordia University Texas baseball team to an 8-3 victory over host Texas-Dallas in the winners bracket of the ASC Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 7 at the UTD Baseball Field. With the win, the Tornados will advance to tomorrow's championship game.

Concordia jumped out to a 7-0 lead through four innings by scoring at least once in each frame. Beasley drove in four of the first five runs by belting an RBI double to the gap in left center in the first and blasting a three-run homer over the fence in left an inning later to give his team a 5-0 advantage. The bats continued to stay hot, as Colton Gommert and Robert Brown each drove in a run on singles in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

Maldonado cruised through the first four innings, facing one batter over the minimum, until UT-Dallas (28-17) attempted to rally in the fifth. Grant Friddell was hit by the first pitch and came home one play later on a triple down the line in right by Jake Wyand. Clint Dunham then followed with a single up the middle, scoring Wyand to make it 7-2.

The Tornado offense gave Maldonado an extra run for insurance in the top of the seventh. Brown worked a seven-pitch walk, stole second for the third time in the game, and then came home on a Gommert double to right center.

The Comets scored once more in the seventh inning when Wyand forced in a run by grounding out to second, but that was as close as they would come the rest of the way. Maldonado got some help from his defense in the eighth when Matt McManemin, Gommert and Brown successfully turned the team's third double play of the afternoon after Larry Bolding drew a leadoff walk. The Tornado hurler retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the victory.

Maldonado went the distance for the third time this season and improved his ledger to 4-2 this season by registering the victory for Concordia. He recorded six strikeouts and walked only two batters while allowing three runs, which were all earned, and five hits. UT-Dallas' Marvin Prestridge, who was forced to throw 105 pitches in only four innings of work, dropped to 7-4 with the loss. He allowed eight hits and seven runs, including three earned, before getting chased out.

Concordia (29-15) will face Texas-Dallas, which knocked out Hardin-Simmons later in the day, for the ASC championship tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Tornados will only need to get one victory to win the crown and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the Comets will have to post two straight wins to claim the title.
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Concordia (29-15)          141     100     100     8    10    1
Texas-Dallas (28-17)     000     020     100     3     5     2
     Concordia: Pedro Maldonado and Collin Janssen.
     Texas-Dallas: Marvin Prestridge, T.J. Barnes (5), L.A. Wong (7) and Grant Friddell.