TAMPA, Fla. – A six-run fourth inning gave the six-seeded UWA Baseball team early control Thursday evening, but three-seed and nationally-ranked No. 11 Rollins College rallied with a six-run seventh inning to defeat the Tigers, 8-7, in the opening round of the NCAA South Region Tournament at Tampa's Baseball Field.
With the loss, West Alabama falls to 34-16 overall and moves into the elimination bracket, where the Tigers will face seven-seed Trevecca Nazarene University on Friday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
The Tigers appeared in control midway through the contest after erupting for six runs in the top of the fourth inning. After trailing 2-0 through three innings,
Rashad Robinson ignited the rally with a leadoff double before
Nick Wilson brought home UWA's first run with an RBI double to right center.
Diego Bryant followed with an RBI single to tie the game, and
Austin Thacker later gave the Tigers the lead with an RBI single through the right side.
Tanner Jones then delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a two-run single up the middle before
Layth Holiday capped the frame with an RBI single to push West Alabama ahead, 6-2.
UWA added another insurance run in the sixth inning as Jones continued his strong night at the plate with an RBI single to score
Kyle Blevins, extending the Tigers' advantage to 7-2.
Jones led the Tigers offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI. Wilson, Bryant, Thacker, and Holiday each recorded an RBI, while Blevins and Robinson both added doubles.
On the mound,
Blake Westry turned in another solid start, allowing just two unearned runs across five innings while striking out one and scattering three hits.
Thomas Kerby followed with a scoreless sixth inning before Rollins mounted its decisive rally in the seventh.
The Tars opened the inning with six hits and capitalized on a UWA throwing error to erase the deficit. Stephen Deans started the scoring with an RBI single before Collin Hughes added another run-scoring hit to cut the lead to 7-4. Rollins then tied the game after Michael Furry reached on a fielder's choice paired with a throwing error, allowing two runs to score. Mason Elrod later delivered the go-ahead blow with a two-run single to put the Tars in front, 8-7.
Coby Vallee earned the win in relief for Rollins after tossing 5.2 innings with eight strikeouts, while
Ryan Ladner was charged with the loss for West Alabama.
Despite outhitting the Tars 10-9 and carrying a five-run lead into the seventh, the Tigers were unable to answer late offensively. Rollins retired the final seven UWA batters to close out the contest.
West Alabama now turns its attention toward staying alive in the regional tournament when the Tigers meet Trevecca Nazarene on Friday afternoon in an elimination game.
