IWC advances to NAIA national tournament following 5-3 win over Grand View

After wrapping up the Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season title, the Iowa Wesleyan College baseball team won the MCC tournament title on Thursday afternoon with a 5-3 win over Grand View University.

IWC (33-18 overall) won the MCC's automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament, qualifying for the national tournament for the first time in school history.

Neil Yemm scored on a sacrifice fly by Jay Olson in the top of the fourth inning as IWC took its first lead of the game, 4-3. The Tigers added an insurance run in the top of the eighth when Yemm drove in Alex Zegers on an RBI single up the middle.

Olson hit a two-run homer in the third inning to put IWC on the score board, then Michael Mendoza hit an RBI double later in the third as the Tigers tied the game at three.

Jansel Encarnacion (9-4) pitched six and two-thirds innings to pick up the win, striking out nine batters in the process, as Justin Peterson earned his fourth save of the season. Grand View's Rickey Pankey took the loss with just over seven innings of work.

IWC joins 44 other teams in the national tournament opening round, played from May 12-16 at campus sites. Once opening round play is done, the 10 remaining teams will advance to the NAIA World Series, held in Lewiston, Idaho May 27-June 3.

The Tigers opening round opponent has yet to be announced.

BOX SCORE

IWC 5, GRAND VIEW 3

R H E

IWC ? 003 100 010 - 5 9 4

Grand View ? 201 000 000 - 3 8 2

AB R H RBI

IWC ? Christensen 2b 5 1 2 0; Sturges ss 5 0 1 0; Mendoza, Mi. cf 5 0 1 1; Koeppel 1b 4 0 1 0; Sampson dp 4 0 1 0; Zegers pr 0 1 0 0; Barcelo lf 3 0 0 0; Yemm rf 3 1 1 1; DuBuque pr 0 0 0 0; Rosa, M. c 2 0 1 0; Lloyd pr 0 1 0 0; Prieto c 1 0 0 0; Olson 3b 3 1 1 3 - Totals ? 35 5 9 5

Grand View ? Cutler 2b 4 1 1 0; Wathen rf 4 0 1 0; Billinger 1b 4 2 3 1; Krist 3b 4 0 1 0; Carlson cf 5 0 2 1; Morgan ss 5 0 0 1; Dunn dp 5 0 0 0; Brown lf 4 0 0 0; Strauss c 2 0 0 0 - Totals ? 37 3 8 3

IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HBP IBB AB BF FO GO

IWC ? Encarnacion (W, 9-4) 6.2 7 3 3 4 9 0 0 2 0 29 36 4 6; Peterson (S, 4) 2.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 8 4 3

Grand View ? Pankey (L, 3-5) 7.1 9 5 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 30 34 13 7; Davila 1.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 5 3 1

E - Christensen 2; Sturges; Olson; Morgan; Strauss. LOB - IWC 7; Grand View 14. 2B - Christensen; Mendoza, Mi.; Wathen; Billinger; Carlson. HR - Olson. HBP - Yemm; Rosa, M.; Cutler; Strauss. SH - Barcelo; Wathen. SF - Olson. SB - Sturges; DuBuque. CS - Krist.