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BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Top-seeded Tabor College scored early and late to force a second championship game with an 11-5 win over Bellevue University Thursday night in the rain-delayed NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round (Bellevue Bracket) at Roddy Field.
The two teams will meet at 1 p.m. on Friday in the second championship game. The winner will earn a ticket to Lewiston, Idaho to the Avista NAIA College World Series on May 22-29.
Bellevue fell to 46-14 with the loss while fifth-ranked Tabor improved to 51-10 on the season.
Tabor opened the game with seven-straight singles off Bruin starter Sean McManus, soaring to a 5-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. Four different Bluejays drove in runs in the opening frame.
Tanner Bell's sacrifice fly to right field moved the Bluejay lead to 6-0 in the top of the third.
Tony Monroy, who replaced McManus in the first inning, got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam in the fourth inning, ending the threat with a strikeout and a flyout.
The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo shot over the left field fence by Osvaldo Gonzalez to slice the Bluejay lead to 6-1.
Nine-hole hitter Kevin Rodriguez roped a two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the seventh to pull the Bruins to within three runs at 6-3. BU loaded the bases with two outs later in the same inning but Bluejay starter Jean Acedvedo induced a ground out to end the threat.
Tabor responded in the top of the eighth on Manny DeLeon's RBI single to center to push the TC lead to 7-3.
A two-run bomb over the left field fence by Todd Nicks in the bottom of the eighth drew the Bruins to within two runs at 7-5. BU loaded the bases again but Gonzalez lined out on a rocket to third basemen Alex Couch to keep the margin at two runs after eight innings.
The Bluejays pulled away in the top of the ninth, scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run single by Matthew Molbury to extend the lead back to six runs at 11-5.
McManus (8-3) suffered the loss. Acevedo (10-1) earned the win, scattering six hits with six strikeouts and four walks in 7 1/3 innnings on the mound.
