Pioneers Survive, Will Play Wednesday

Watch Game 1
Watch Game 2

The Basics
Game 1 Score: MNU 9 - St. Xavier 3
Game 2 Score: MNU 6 - Science & Arts of Oklahoma 4
Record: MNU (41-15) - SXU (32-27) - S&A (34-12)
Location: Roddy Field - Bellevue, Neb.

Bellevue, Neb. - The Pioneers eliminated St. Xavier and #9-ranked and 1-seed Science & Arts to stay alive in the Bellevue Brack of the Opening Round. In Game 1 vs. SXU, the Cougars got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo homer, but Adam Rellihan's 2-out RBI double tied it in the top of the 3rd. In the top of the 4th, Kyle Franklin's 2-out RBI single gave MNU the lead, but St. Xavier's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th gave them a 3-2 lead. Rellihan put MNU back in front with a 2-run homer in the top of the 5th, and his solo shot in the 7th made it 6-3. Joshuan Sandoval followed with his 19th of the season for a 7-3 lead, then tied the single-season MNU home run record with his 20th in the 8th.

Game 1 Turning Point
Adam Rellihan's 2-run homer in the 5th put the Pioneers up for good.

Game 1 Individual Leaders
Kyle Waller struck out 9 in his 10th victory of the season. Connor Jonas, Nick Michael, and Caleb Jonas combined for 3 strikeouts, 2 hits, and no runs in 4 innings of relief. And Adam Rellihan (3-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI), Joshuan Sandoval (3-4, 2 R, 2 HR, BB), Daunte Freeman (3-4, BB), Randy Fernandez (2-4, BB), Kyle Franklin (2-3, R, RBI, HBP), and Austin Healy (2-4, R, 2B, Sac) had multi-hit games.

In Game 2 vs. #9 Science & Arts, the Drovers rallied for 2 runs in the top of the 2nd, but the Pioneers responded immediately in the bottom of the inning. Josh Torrance led off with a single and Jacob Jenkins reached on an error. Torrance stole 3rd and scored on a wild throw, and Kyle Franklin's deep drive to left fell in for a triple and a tie game. Austin Healy followed with a 2-run homer, and Randy Fernandez doubled as MNU hit for the cycle and scored 4 times. In the bottom of the 4th, Joshuan Sandoval launched a single-season record-breaking 2-run bomb - his 21st - for a 6-2 lead. The Drovers fought back with single runs in the 7th and 8th, but reliever Nathan Torres finished what Tommy Castro started, and the Pioneers won 6-4.

Game 2 Turning Point
With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 8th, Science & Arts had already scored and faced a full count. Nathan Torres' borderline pitch went MNU's way, and the biggest threat of the game was thwarted.

Game 2 Individual Leaders
Tommy Castro struck out 7 in 7.1 innings for the win. Nathan Torres struck out 2 in 1.2 innings for the save. And Adam Rellihan (0-2, R, 3 BB), Joshuan Sandoval (2-5, R, HR, 2 RBI), Kyle Franklin (1-3, R, 3B, RBI, BB), and Austin Healy (2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) led the offense.

Up Next
The next game is Wednesday vs. Concordia (39-10) at 11:00. The winner must beat Bellevue twice to advance to Lewiston.