The Historic 2021 MNU Baseball Season

I don't usually do a full season recap just hours after a heartbreaking loss to end the season. But on the almost 3-hour drive home from Bellevue, Nebraska, I had so many thoughts about this year so I figured I'd write them down. I've also just discovered this new feature on the website which allows for interesting visuals, and the slew of amazing photos from this week's professionals need to go somewhere…and maybe, if this is received well, I'll do it more often for teams who reach Nationals…

As a Sports Information Director, I'm not supposed to show favoritism towards any one sport. It's no secret that I'm a Baseball guy - I played at this level, I played with current head coach Ryan Thompson, I was his assistant coach for a couple years, he's the reason I'm here at all, it's the sport I understand the most, and I try to provide the absolute best possible coverage - so my attitude about every other sport is to equal what I do for baseball. I don't always succeed, and some sports are easier to manage than others (indoor events aren't subject to wind and rain, for example). My point is that even though it may seem like it's all the same to me, I always feel most connected to baseball.

I'd like to go through all 4 games played this week and dive deeper into the stories from the season. Again, I'm not sure why I'm doing this. Maybe it's self-indulgent, maybe I missed my family and wanted to make my time away more worth it, maybe getting to the end of this particularly tough school year made me emotional, or maybe I didn't have a mic this week and I didn't get a chance to say what I wanted to say. Usually, I'm the idiot yammering on youtube during home games, often being too honest but mostly having fun. This week I was in charge of video streaming production for a host school which usually points a fixed camera at the field and connects to an announcer. I wanted to make myself useful, so I lugged all my gear to Nebraska and helped out. It really felt like I was going to help capture something special…

The NAIA started this 9-site 5-team Opening Round format in 2009, just a couple years into coach Ryan Thompson's tenure, and still years away from dreaming about the post season. The 9 winners join host Lewis-Clark State in the 10-team final site World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. MNU has had some special teams in the past, but the 2021 squad felt like one that could break through and win an Opening Round.

The first team to go to Nationals was the 2014 squad, which won its opening game as a 3-seed, but lost the next 2 in the Faulkner (Ala.) bracket. That team was great, featuring Conference Players of the Year Jordan Eckley (2014 & 2016) and Clayton Brandt (2015), but not up to par with host and defending national champion Faulkner. The 2015 team reached an Opening Round as well, but suffered the same fate at host Oklahoma Baptist. The 2016 team was arguably the most talented of the era, but some losses at the wrong times prevented a post-season appearance. In 2017, the Pioneers got hot at the right time and breezed through the Heart conference tournament like it was nothing, but another 1-2 record as a 4-seed kept MNU from Lewiston. All of those teams were great, but it never felt like we were going to actually win and advance. I should clarify…at least that's how I felt. I'm sure the coaches and players were plenty confident.

In 2021, I shared their confidence…

The 2021 season really began in 2020. A decent 2019 team was bolstered with key additions and the team started to take off. Newcomers Randy Fernandez, Ryan Leo, Kyle Waller, and Brycen Sherwood made immediate impact and joined established starters Jhon Vargas, Joshuan Sandoval, Austin Healy, and breakout star Easten Garrett to start the 2020 campaign 15-6 overall and 9-2 in the Heart before the world shut down and canceled the season. It really felt like 2020 was headed for something special. A conference title was a real possibility, and we've only had 3 of those (1985, 2012-East, and 2014). But even more new blood was on the way for 2021, and historic individual seasons followed…

Pitchers Tommy Castro (injured in 2020) and freshman Eric Navarette showed early in the season they would be key additions to the staff, and a few surprises came later in the season.

First baseman Adam Rellihan and outfielder Daunte Freeman joined the 2021 squad as senior transfers, and they slotted nicely into the 2 and 4 holes of an already-potent lineup. Both players were expected to provide big numbers to the team, and a full year of Leo (OF), Sherwood (3B), and Fernandez (2B) anticipated good results as well. Catcher Joshuan Sandoval was already an established star, with two 1st-team All-Conference seasons under his belt in ‘18 & ’19, so MNU could easily count on 6 regular offensive producers before the season began. Austin Healy was expected to play excellent shortstop and provide occasional pop and speed from the 9-hole.

No one anticipated the level of offense we actually got, however…

A typical lineup generally consists of 3 guys you can always count on to produce, 3 guys who are dangerous but streaky, and 3 guys you hope can play strong defense and occasionally run into one. I don't know…I feel like I just made that up. It sounds pretty good though. But what I know for sure is that an OPS of 1.000 is only for elite hitters, and you're usually thrilled to have 1 or 2 in your lineup. OPS simply means On-base percentage Plus Slugging percentage. For context: an on base percentage of around .400, combined with a slugging percentage of around .600, is what Mike Trout does.

In the Ryan Thompson era at MNU, in 14 years from 2007-2020:

• only 4 players hit over .400 for an entire season. Jake Gill (.410 in 2007), Derek Glenn (.402 in 2012), Clayton Brandt (.417 in 2015), and Jordan Eckley (.439 in 2016). In 2021, 3 players were added to that list, and 3 more barely missed.
• 2 players had an on-base percentage of .500. Glenn (.502 in 2012), and Tim Purdin (.500 in 2010). In 2021, 3 more players eclipsed a .500 OBP.
• 6 players recorded double-digit homers, and only 1 team had more than 1 in a season. Doug Antilla (12 in 2007), Ben Alison (15 in 2012), Jason Jones (20 in 2016 and 12 in 2017), Jordan Eckley (11 in 2016), and Joshuan Sandoval (11 in 2018). The 2021 team featured 4 double-digit homer totals, including Joshuan Sandoval's record 21.
• 3 players totaled 60 RBIs in a season. Carlos Vargas (61 in 2015), Eckley (66 in 2016), and Jones (61 in 2016). In 2021, 2 players destroyed the RBI record with 75 and 79.
• 17 players recorded an OPS over 1.000, and never more than 3 on one team. In 2021, a total of six (6!) hitters recorded an OPS over 1.000, including 4 over 1.200. The team OPS was 1.065.

With stats like that, you'd think this team would never struggle. But after 25 games, the Pioneers were sitting at 13-12 and had been completely shut out in a double header at Friends. The offense started clicking big time in a 3-game series at Benedictine, but losing 3 of 4 to #5-ranked Central Methodist had MNU questioning its future. In the final weekend of March, the Pioneers swept Grand View. And the month of April brought exactly zero losses to MNU. The Pioneers shattered the school record with 24 straight wins from March 28 through May 7, and a second place finish in the conference tournament earned them a spot at Nationals.

I love great photos, no matter the feelings they conjure. And this photo at the end of the conference tournament says so much. Ryan Leo had such a huge week that he was named MVP despite MNU losing, but the final out captures both ends of the emotional spectrum. It also includes the CMU coach in the background rushing to shake hands with pinch runner and MNU's best pitcher Jhon Vargas, displaying the respect and sportsmanship these two elite teams had for each other after 7 meetings in 2021.

Another gut-wrenching photo is coming later…

The Opening Round Bellevue Bracket featured several high-quality teams, but not the über-elite like MNU has faced in the past. The 1-seeds of these tournaments are made up the top-10 teams (minus World Series host Lewis-Clark State) in the nation, and 1-seed University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma was ranked #9. So the relatively good draw combined with the loaded squad allowed for some realistic expectations coming in for the 2-seed Pioneers. And it wasn't just the offense.

MNU has had some great pitchers in the Thompson era, but only 1 had eclipsed 10 wins (Trent Hedlund in 2014). The 2021 team saw Jhon Vargas (12) and Kyle Waller (10) reach double digits, and opponents hit a measly .267 against the Pioneers.

The hope was to win the first game vs. 3-seed Concordia and then face one of USAO's 2 superstar pitchers in the winner's bracket game, a true test for the offense. But Concordia was a loaded team as well and proved to be too much for the whole bracket. I marvel at our 6 OPS-over-1.000 guys, but Concordia has 6 as well. Plus 5 guys with double digit homers. Despite the seeding, MNU was ranked #21, and Concordia was ranked #19. This turned out to be a truly under-seeded team, and they are on their way to Lewiston. Concordia's ace pitcher held the Pioneers in check, and MNU ace Jhon Vargas struck out 6 in 6 innings. But the Pioneers managed just 2 late runs and fell into the loser's bracket.

All hope of escaping a double elimination after losing the first game is dashed. Winning Game 1 puts you on track to go 3-0 and use your pitching staff as desired. Losing Game 1, while burning your ace, is devastating. The team must now win 5 nine-inning games in 3 days without their top pitcher. Further complicating things was the injury status of third baseman Brycen Sherwood. He had injured his hamstring in the conference tournament, but responded to treatment well enough to give the Opening Round a shot. Near the end of the Concordia game, he re-aggravated it, and one of MNU's top bats (and gloves) was out. But an offense as deep as MNU's allows you to dream…

In a shocker, 4-seed Bellevue sent 1-seed USAO to the loser's bracket after beating previously undefeated Colton Williams (33-0 career, 12-0 in 2021), so the impossible dream of coming out of the loser's bracket gained a little steam. Now the Pioneers needed to beat the supposed best team just once, and the later you get in these tournaments, the more the offenses take over. But first things first, MNU needed to beat 5-seed St. Xavier to stay alive. The Pioneers went with Kyle Waller on the mound, who'd been excellent as the #1 starter for most of the season. In 79.2 innings, he struck out 100 batters and allowed a .255 opponent batting average. Down the stretch, Vargas had emerged with one of the best seasons in MNU history, but Waller was still an obviously elite arm. The plan was to use Waller as long as possible and hope the offense could keep the season alive. He allowed just 2 hits, but both were homers, and 5 walks contributed to a high pitch count of 110 after 5 innings. But the offense performed as planned, and 2 homers each by Adam Rellihan and Joshuan Sandoval led MNU to a 9-3 win. The bullpen needed to come through in this game as well, and Connor Jonas, Nick Michael, and Caleb Jonas proved up to the task with 4 innings of scoreless relief.

Another elimination game awaited MNU in the evening. And the highly anticipated matchup with USAO would have the season on the line. MNU started Tommy Castro, who had emerged as a top arm who could go deep into games. USAO countered with Ricardo Velez, who had even better numbers than their 33-0 guy. USAO led the nation in opponent batting average with a ridiculous .207, and their top 2 starters were a main reason why. Velez had legit velocity, but his first time through the order yielded no strikeouts and the Pioneers seemed to be all over him. In the bottom of the 2nd, Josh Torrance - relegated to the 6-hole after a 0-24 stretch in the leadoff spot - shrugged off the slump with a single off one of the best pitchers in the nation, and that started a rally. Sherwood's replacement, Kyle Franklin, skied a shot deep to left field which was lost by the defender and ended up a game-tying triple. And Austin Healy nailed an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall, which felt like a cleanly landed uppercut to the favored heavyweight.

On a team full of stars, Healy felt like the non-pitcher most difficult to replace. Ok…the right answer is probably Sandoval, but Healy is right there with him. He brings an element of speed, defense, athleticism, baserunning, and baseball IQ rarely found. Prior to 2021, Healy was an all-defense guy. In 35 games in 2019, he had 6 doubles, 1 homer, and 9 RBIs. In 21 games in 2020, he had 2 doubles and 5 RBIs. This year, he was a bona fide offensive star. He never was below a .333 average, and he was sitting around .400 most of the year. He also added significant power with 15 doubles, 3 triples, and 12 homers for a .705 slugging percentage and 55 RBIs from the 9-hole. His defense at short was elite, drawing comparisons to Javy Baez with slick tags and athletic throws. His play in the Opening Round wowed the press box multiple times, and I got the feeling he  - out of all our stars - was who most impressed our hosts.

Tommy Castro allowed 2 runs in the 2nd inning, but held USAO off the board through the next 4. In the bottom of the 4th, Joshuan Sandoval's MNU single-season record-breaking 21st homer elicited this response from the dugout as it landed across the street. For context, the ball is picked up beyond the white pickup truck on the left in the video…

Castro pitched into the 8th, and left with 2 on, 1 out, and a 6-3 lead. Rarely-used reliever Nathan Torres entered the game, and it was hard to know what to expect. He had been recruited as a catcher and hadn't seen much action at all. He threw hard and it was clear that hitters weren't getting good looks at him, but 5 walks in 5 innings makes it hard to trust a reliever in a tight spot. Ace reliever Eric Navarette had pitched 3 spotless innings the day before and was unavailable, and with 3 games still hopefully remaining, Torres was going to have to be the guy.

A popout to short was the second out, but an infield single (maybe an error) loaded the bases for the top of the order. After falling behind 3-0, Torres hit the outside corner for a borderline strike 1. The next pitch was called strike 2, and the USAO dugout vehemently voiced their displeasure. The 3rd base coach even called time to settle down his hitter, making Torres wait to think about his next pitch. The next offering wasn't close, and the game got tighter at 6-4. Torres got ahead of the next batter 1-2, but the battle raged with several foul balls and close takes to run the count full again.

With the runners on the move and the season on the line, Torres fired an inside fastball which was confidently taken by the batter, but the ump stepped back and rung him up, causing raucous outbursts from each dugout. It also caused a raucous outburst from me, which is generally frowned upon in the press box, but what can I say…the “YES!” felt right.

The 9th inning was relatively easy, and the Pioneers started to glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel. 

At this point in the tournament, MNU was the top seed remaining, and the rest of the teams were deep enough into their pitching to expect the offense to do serious damage. Still needing to win 3 straight 9-inning games, Coach Thompson would need to get creative with the pitching, but the general feeling was optimistic. The Pioneers needed to beat Concordia to advance to the championship round, then beat host Bellevue twice to advance. The plan was to start Easten Garrett, then piece together the bullpen. Eric Navarette was rested enough after a day off, but with no regular starters remaining, he would get the ball if the Pioneers stayed alive. Thursday's finale was still too far away to plan, but it would've been all hands on deck.

Garrett had an interesting career. The son of the Director of Athletics has unique pressure and expectations, but he seemed to handle it perfectly. As a freshman, he got a handful of innings and pitched well. As a sophomore, he was given a more substantial workload and was a reliable spot starter. The 2020 season saw him turn into a legit arm and trusted regular starter. MNU played just 21 games, and Garrett was 5-1 with 4 complete games, a 3.21 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. He battled an injury in 2021 but still had 12 starts and went 4-3. He went 14-6 in his career, and was well-liked and well-known enough on campus to be named Mr. Pioneer at the end-of-year MNU sports awards show. While most teams are out of pitching by Game 4 in a week, MNU had plenty of confidence that Garrett would provide quality innings vs. a tough opponent like Concordia.

Part of any successful season requires the avoidance of injury, and MNU's Sports Medicine Department works tirelessly to try to make that happen. Brycen Sherwood had a monster season, hitting over .400 with an on-base percentage north of .500 while playing an excellent third base. But his leg injury kept him out of the lineup in the final few games of the conference tournament. Aggressive treatment got him back in the lineup for the first game of the Opening Round, but his final at bat re-aggravated the injury and MNU was missing a middle of the order bat. His only option was off the bench in a one-swing-can-win-it situation.

Garrett battled through the tough Concordia lineup, but the Bulldogs created 2-out magic twice to score some clutch runs. The Pioneers faced a pitcher who couldn't find the strike zone, and 4 walks led to a run in the 1st and more trouble in the 2nd and 3rd.

When I played, I was the type of hitter who couldn't stand facing guys who couldn't find the zone. I never felt comfortable, and I never felt ready to swing. I've always admired the hitters who had just watched their teammates walk on 4 pitches, and were still ready to attack. By the top of the 3rd inning, the Concordia pitcher had already walked 6, hit a batter, committed a balk, and thrown a wild pitch. Josh Torrance - recently relieved of his big slump - wasn't content to be passive with 2 outs and 2 on. When the count went to 3-0, I was certain he would take 2 strikes before even thinking about swinging. There was no way this guy was capable of 3 consecutive strikes, right? That's probably why I wasn't the type of hitter to hit 3-run homers in elimination games at Nationals. Josh Torrance attacked the 3-1 pitch and left the yard for a 4-1 lead.

Torrance didn't stop there. In the top of the 6th, MNU led 6-4. He hammered a solo shot to put the Pioneers up 7-4, but the Bulldogs kept chipping away. For the 3rd different time in the game, Torrance put the Pioneers up by 3 with a 2-out RBI single in the top of the 7th, but again Concordia closed the gap. A 2-run homer in the bottom of the 7th trimmed the deficit to 8-7, and Nathan Torres was summoned get the Pioneers closer to the end. He escaped the 7th with no more damage, but MNU couldn't extend the lead with their first 1-2-3 offensive inning of the game in the top of the 8th.

The next photo is the gut punch. As painful as it was, it led to one more shot at redemption and one more thrill in MNU's best season. Leading by 1, Torres opened the bottom of the 8th by walking the leadoff batter and hitting the next guy, and from the bullpen trotted Monday's starter Jhon Vargas. Fans of baseball history may have been reminded of Randy Johnson in the 1995 ALDS, and again in the 2001 World Series…the ace starter coming in from the pen with little rest to try to save the season. Vargas's heroic attempt started well. The 3-hole grounded to 3rd, where Randy Fernandez speared it and retired the lead runner. Then the 4-hole struck out on 3 dominant breaking pitches - curveball taken for strike 1, and consecutive wipeout sliders which were meekly flailed at - and I started to taste victory. Vargas looked fresh and confident as usual. Just retire the next guy, extend the lead in the 9th, and face the bottom of the order to move to the championship round.

But this sports fantasy didn't end like that…not for the Pioneers anyway. Feel-good sports stories have another side that rarely gets explored. And this story turned on the next pitch.

After 3 breaking balls made the 4-hole look foolish, a first-pitch curveball to the 5-hole was smashed over the left field fence, and Concordia suddenly had a 10-8 lead. MNU was down to their last 3 outs…

The game wasn't over, however. Not by a long shot. Due up for the Pioneers were 3 guys with 3 of the best seasons in MNU history.

Adam Rellihan started it off. A transfer, who made MNU his final year, was awesome from the start of the season. In just his 3rd game, he went 5-6 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBIs. He had at least 3 hits in 12 different games - including two 5-hit games - and never dipped below .400 after Game 3. He recorded 88 hits - the 2nd highest total in MNU history - and his patient and disciplined approach led to a club-record 38 walks and ridiculous .526 on base percentage, another record. His only slump of the season came during a 7-game stretch in the middle of the year. He went 3-23 and his average dropped from .493 to .408. But his next 14 games were scorching, and he went back to a .454 average. Back to the current game - like he did so often throughout the year, he didn't chase and drew a leadoff walk.

Joshuan Sandoval was next, and like every at bat I've seen him take in 4 seasons, he was looking to launch. The all-time MNU career home run leader has provided some legendary blasts over the years, and his 21 homers and 79 RBIs in 2021 are MNU single-season records. The stalwart catcher has played in 154 games in his career, and only a few of those came as a DH or pinch hitter. He's as reliable as they come. But with his power also comes the threat of double plays. Guys who hit the ball hard and hit behind players with .500 OBPs will ground into their share of double plays, and I'd be lying if I wasn't concerned about that in the press box. But Concordia didn't even bother to hold Rellihan close to the base, and he took 2nd without a throw. Sandoval, with his .400 batting average, .479 on base percentage, and MNU record-shattering .845 slugging percentage stood in as among the most dangerous hitters in the country. But even .500 OBP players get out half the time, and Sandoval's grounder to short resulted in the first out of the inning.

Daunte Freeman, another senior transfer who made a huge impact, was next. His season basically mirrored Rellihan's - including a 5-6 performance in the season's 3rd game and 12 3-hit games. He sat in the mid .400s all season and ended up leading the team at .438. He also recorded the 3rd highest hit total in MNU history (84), tied for 3rd most homers in MNU history (15), recorded the second most RBIs in MNU history (75), and reached base at a .507 clip while being the toughest guy to strike out. He also made several spectacular diving catches in center field. His chopper up the middle was fumbled for an error, and the tying runs were aboard with 1 out.

Ryan Leo stepped up, and despite not having the homer totals of his predecessors, he boasted an OPS of 1.016 and recorded 18 doubles with a batting average around .400 all season. Leo tied Freeman for fewest strikeouts among regulars with 20, so contact was almost guaranteed. But he was second on the team with 4 double plays, so there was slight concern that the right pitch could end the season. As mentioned earlier, he had a huge conference tournament and was named MVP, but the photo along with it showed him walking away after striking out looking with the tying runs in scoring position to end it. Leo found redemption on the first pitch, and smoked a double into the right-center gap. Pinch runner Joey Calamaio read it immediately and was at top speed at the crack of the bat. He flew around the bases and beat the throw home to tie it at 10, resulting in the video and photo below.

I asked Leo if the conference tournament ending played into his approach in his final at bat. “Of course it did! I was really hoping to get another chance,” he said. “After the strikeout, I told my teammates that if a situation like that came up again, I had their backs. The first thing on my mind was to not leave the at bat in the hands of the umpire. If I was going to make an out, it had to be swinging.”

Josh Torrance was next, and Concordia had seen enough from him. A bases loaded walk in the first, a 3-run homer in the 3rd, a solo homer in the 6th, and an RBI single in the 7th gave him 6 RBIs. Torrance had a very good season, hitting in the mid .300s with quality at bats and clutch RBIs, but the aforementioned slump saw him dip into the .200s before rallying to finish strong. The easy option was to put a hot hitter on first to set up a double play, but the Pioneers countered with pinch hitter Brycen Sherwood.

Is it possible to hit .408, slug .682, and reach base at a .518 clip with 17 doubles and 8 homers and still get overshadowed? It seems like that was Sherwood's 2021 season. A 1.200 OPS and you're not one of the top 3 guys other teams must avoid? It's easily one of the best seasons in MNU history. It's ridiculous, but I had to imagine that opposing teams looked at Rellihan, Sandoval, and Freeman as the part of the order to be careful with if possible. But getting through those 3 leads you right into Sherwood and Leo, and that's how you average almost 10 runs per game (while mostly playing 7-inning games, by the way). It's also how you score 6+ runs in an inning 27 different times in 52 games. I counted.

But again, this is the sad end of a sports story, and Sherwood's hero Kirk Gibson moment was spoiled when a hard hit hopper up the middle was turned into an inning-ending double play as he hobbled down the line.

Jhon Vargas valiantly and defiantly took the mound again in the bottom of the 9th, and there was no one else Pioneer fans wanted to see out there. When you have guys with talent, heart, moxy, toughness - and they want the ball with everything on the line - you give them the ball. Yes, it would've been nice to have a fresher Navarette out there, but we still needed to win 2 more 9-inning games.

The inning began with a harmless pop out to Rellihan. But that would prove to be the last out MNU recorded. A bloop single off the end of the bat was followed by a perfectly placed bunt single to put 2 runners on. A wild pitch moved the runners up, and an intentional walk loaded the bases. MNU needed a strikeout, pop out, line out, double play…anything to prevent the runner at 3rd from scoring. The first pitch was nailed down the left field line, however, and the remarkable historic 2021 season ended in an instant.

This feature took me from Wednesday night into Friday morning to complete, and I'm sure I still failed to mention everyone I intended to mention. Randy Fernandez, for example, was named 2nd team All-Conference and recorded a .955 OPS. How is it possible to rank 7th on your own team with a .955 OPS?

Of all the memories I have from this year's team - Thompson's 400th, Sandoval's 33rd career and 21st season homers, Vargas and Waller topping 100 strikeouts, Healy's play to secure a trip to Nationals, Vargas breaking the career strikeout record 3 times… - I'm a sucker for offensive stats, and a team OPS of 1.065 is one I'll never forget.

Honors:

P - Jhon Vargas - Honorable Mention All-America, 1st team All-Conference, career strikeout record (245), season strikeout record, (137) season wins record (12)

C - Joshuan Sandoval - 1st team All-America, 1st team All-Conference, career HR record (46), season HR record (21), season RBI record (79), season SLG% record (.845), season OPS record (1.324), .397 AVG

3B - Brycen Sherwood - 1st team All-Conference, 1.200 OPS, .518 OBP, .409 AVG

OF - Daunte Freeman - 2nd team All-America, 1st team All-Conference, 1.267 OPS, .507 OBP, .438 AVG (2nd all-time)

P - Kyle Waller - 2nd team All-Conference, 100 strikeouts (2nd all time), 10 wins (t-2nd all-time)

1B - Adam Rellihan - 2nd team All-Conference, season OB% record (.526), season walks record (38), 1.280 OPS, .425 AVG

2B - Randy Fernandez - 2nd team All-Conference, .955 OPS

SS - Austin Healy - 2nd team All-Conference, 1.161 OPS, .393 AVG

DH - Ryan Leo - 2nd team All-Conference, 1.016 OPS, .395 AVG

P.S.

As I was driving home, Concordia went on to beat Bellevue 13-8 to force a final game on Thursday. Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th, Concordia went solo homer, flyout, single, 2-run homer, and solo homer to take a 7-5 lead. Bellevue went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th, and Concordia was the team with the satisfying sports movie ending.

Also, Central Methodist advanced to the Championship Round at the World Series and finished runner-up.