OXFORD, Ala. — A first-inning surge proved too much to overcome for No. 11 and top-seeded West Alabama, as the Tigers fell to No. 6 seed Trevecca Nazarene, 13-7, in round one of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at Choccolocco Park on Saturday afternoon.
Trevecca Nazarene (32-19) wasted no time setting the tone, exploding for seven runs on eight hits in the top of the first inning. The Trojans launched four home runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run shot from Cade Martin, followed by solo blasts from Noah Boughton and Cade Moore, and a two-run homer from Caleb Webster. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed another run to cross, giving Trevecca a commanding 7-0 lead before West Alabama (34-14) could record the third out.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers responded in the bottom of the second inning.
Kyle Blevins ignited the rally with a single, and West Alabama capitalized on free passes to load the bases.
Rashad Robinson delivered a two-RBI single to center field, while
Layth Holiday later scored on a wild pitch.
Nick Wilson capped the inning with an RBI single, trimming the deficit to 7-4.
Trevecca added a run in the third inning on a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 8-4, before both pitching staffs briefly settled in. However, the Trojans broke through again in the sixth inning when Jaxson Christ connected on a three-run home run to push the advantage to 11-4.
West Alabama answered in the bottom half of the inning as
Kaiden Jones blasted a two-run homer to center field, bringing the Tigers back within five at 11-6. It marked one of the few bright spots offensively for UWA, which managed just eight hits on the day.
The Trojans continued to add insurance, with Rylan Moses homering in both the seventh and ninth innings to cap a four-hit, three-run performance. His late-game power helped seal the 13-7 victory for Trevecca.
Hudson Walburn provided the Tigers' final run with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
On the mound,
Baker Green (4-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs in the opening inning. West Alabama used six relievers in an attempt to stabilize the game, with
Jacob Marshall providing 2.1 innings of relief and
Beau Bryant tossing two innings while allowing just one run.
Trevecca's Spencer Wilkins (6-2) earned the win, going six innings while allowing six runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
Offensively, Blevins led the Tigers with a 2-for-3 performance, while Robinson drove in two runs.
Kaiden Jones and Walburn each homered in the loss.
With the defeat, West Alabama moves into the elimination bracket and will now need to win out to defend its GSC Tournament title. The Tigers will look to regroup as they continue postseason play, facing the loser of the two-seeded Lee and the five-seeded Delta State at 11 a.m. tomorrow in a must-win scenario.
