No. 15 Grenadiers Defeat No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan To Clinch First NAIA World Series Berth In School History
No. 15 Grenadiers Defeat No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan To Clinch First NAIA World Series Berth In School History
KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The No. 15-ranked IU Southeast baseball team defeated top-ranked and defending national champion Tennessee Wesleyan to win the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Kingsport Bracket and a berth in the 2021 Avista-NAIA World Series for the first time in school history.
The Grenadiers (48-14) took a 3-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and one in the second.
In the first, Drew Hensley singled and Brody Tanksley doubled and Derek Wagner drove them in with a single.
Clay Woete hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Jake Scott in the second inning.
Gary Mattis hit a three-run home run to left to put Tennessee Wesleyan in front in the third inning 4-3. That was his 25th home run of the season.
The Grenadiers scored six runs and sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth to take the lead. Derek Wagner, John Ullom and Jake Scott all singled to load the bases. Then Daunte DeCello singled down the left field line to drive in Wagner and Ullom. Another single by Woeste scored Scott and DeCello.
After Woeste stole second, Drew Hensley hit a RBI single to center to bring him in and Hensley scored on a single by Marco Romero.
IU Southeast tacked on a run in the seventh when Derek Wagner knocked in his third RBI on the day with third single, scoring Tyler Mills.
The Bulldogs (53-6) scored three times in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 10-8 but the Grenadiers answered with six runs in the top of the eighth.
Daunte DeCello doubled to left and Woeste was hit by a pitch. Tyler Mills walked to load the bases.
Brody Tanksley hit a ground ball to third and third baseman Jhosmel Rodriguez's throw home was wild which allowed two runs to score.
Marco Romero singled to score Mills and Ben Berenda capped off the rally with a bases-clearing, three-run double down the right-field line.
Tennessee Wesleyan scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning but Jacob Frankel nailed down the win by retiring five of the six batters he faced to secure the first NAIA World Series berth for the Grenadiers.
The Grenadiers batted around twice in the contest (5th and 8th innings) and recorded 20 hits in the game.
Daunte DeCello was 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI. Derek Wagner had three hits and drove in three. Ben Berenda drove in three. Drew Hensley, Marco Romero, John Ullom and Jake Scott all had two hits.
The 2021 Avista-NAIA World Series bracket will be released later this week and games will begin on May 28 at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho.