BOX SCORE BOX SCORE (.pdf)
AUSTIN, Texas – Top-seed Texas-Tyler scored the final five runs of the game, including three on Garrett Nelson's home run in the ninth inning, to edge the second-seeded Concordia University Texas baseball team, 6-5, on Friday night in a winners' bracket contest of the American Southwest Conference Tournament at Tornado Field.
Nelson's decisive hit came with two out in the final frame to allow the Patriots (33-10) to move into the championship game.
The Tornados (31-11) took a 4-1 lead in the third inning on
Connor Bertsch's three-run homer to right field.
Concordia Texas added another run in the fourth, as
Luke Kress was caught up between first and second, allowing
Race Mellman to come across the plate.
However, Texas-Tyler began chipping away in the sixth with two runs.
After two scoreless panels, the Patriots started the ninth with Logan Tucker's leadoff single. After
Justin Traxler struck out Buddy McCoy and retired Blake Bonnin on a fly out, Nelson hit a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall to put UT-Tyler in front for good.
The Tornados tried to answer in the bottom half of the frame, as
Alex Steadman reached on an infield single. However, Chad Hayes, who entered in the inning, struck out the next two batters to secure the win for the Patriots.
Bertsch paced CTX with a 2-for-4 performance that included four RBIs.
Race Mellman also added two hits, while
Michael Evan was 1-for-4 with a double and he scored twice.
Chris Stodolka (3-0) earned the win in relief, as the right-hander allowed only one hit in two scoreless stanzas. Hayes received his 12th save of the year after working around a single in the ninth.
Traxler (3-2) suffered the loss after giving up three runs on two hits in 1.2 innings of relief.
The Tornados will play at 11 a.m. Saturday against the winner of the East Texas Baptist and Texas-Dallas matchup.
