So close: Iowa Wesleyan falls in semis

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The final postseason run for the Iowa Wesleyan baseball team was thrilling, heart-stopping, and at the end devastating as the Tigers fell just one game short of making the NAIA national tournament.

After falling 14-0 to overwhelming favorite Georgia Gwinnett on Saturday, the Tigers battled back to knock out Florida National, 9-5, on Sunday afternoon. That put the Tigers into a do-or-die game for the final spot on Sunday night.

In the semifinal game, the Tigers fell victim to a late rally by Fisher College, who eventually walked the Tigers off 11-10 in 11 innings.

After a rough Game 1 the day before, Iowa Wesleyan played with its season on the line against Florida National in its first game on Sunday.

The Tigers gave up a run in the top of the first inning, but immediately struck back with four, capitalizing on a couple of RBI doubles, by David Amaya and Riley Rankin, and a sacrifice fly in between to take a 4-1 advantage.

Florida National responded with a run in the top of the third, but former New London prep Holvin Catala got that run right back in the bottom half, as the Tigers took a 5-2 lead. That would last until the top of the fifth inning.

In the fifth, Florida National crept back into it with a pair of runs, but as they had done all day long, the Tigers punched right back.

Leading just 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers scored two runs on a throwing error, and then Carlos Vicente made it 8-4 with an RBI double to left.

The Tigers tacked on one more on a Froymer Ortega double in the sixth. Florida would score just once for the rest of the game.

Amaya was scolding hot in the Florida National game, going 4-for-5 with an RBI. Ortega finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Vicente and Guzman each had three hits.

The Tigers turned to former Mediapolis stand out Cauy Massner in the Florida National game, and Massner did what he needed to do, pitching seven innings and giving up just four earned runs while striking out six batters. Pedro Ramirez gave up just one run and struck out three in two relief innings.

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With the national tournament hanging in the balance, Iowa Wesleyan came out swinging in the semifinals. The Tigers put up four runs in the top of the second to jump on Fisher College early.

Rankin got things going with an RBI double in the second. Phillip Guerrero followed with a two RBI single, and Amaya scored the fourth on a sacrifice fly.

Fisher rallied all the way back to tie it at 4-4 in the bottom of the third, but Iowa Wesleyan pounced again in the top of the fifth, scoring three more runs.

Derek Marrufo broke the tie on an RBI single to right center. Vicente then plated two on a two-RBI double to stretch the lead to 7-4.

In the top of the sixth, Sage Bonner and Marrufo each had an RBI single to bring the score to 9-4. Ortega then scored the 10th Tiger run to make it a 10-4 Iowa Wesleyan lead.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Fisher had just enough time to rally back.

Iowa Wesleyan’s 10-4 lead turned into 10-5 with a one-run Fisher sixth. Then, the Falcons rallied back in the ninth, capitalizing on a solo home run, a throwing error and eventually a game-tying two out infield single.

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Fisher had the chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, but Ramirez escaped a bases-loaded jam to keep the Tigers’ season alive.

After failing to capitalize on the leadoff runner getting on in the 11th inning, Iowa Wesleyan had its back against the wall with the meat of the Fisher lineup creeping up in the bottom half. The Falcons loaded the bases on two hit batters and a walk, and that left Fisher star Ivanuel Hernandez up with the bases loaded and one out.

Hernandez sent a blooping line drive the other way, and it dropped in front of the left fielder, which gave Fisher College the win, and ended Iowa Wesleyan’s season.

Hernandez would end the game a haunting 5-for-6 with a home run, a double and three RBIs.

For the Tigers, Marrufo was 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Vicente finished 1-for-6 with two RBIs, and Guerrero was 1-for-5 with a pair of RBIs as well.

Luis Ayesa threw six innings for the Tigers, giving up five earned runs while striking out six batters. Ian Clements and Tavares Tim pitched in relief, as did Ramirez, who was tagged with the loss after giving up three runs (one earned) over two innings of work.

The Tiger baseball season, which will go down as the final one in school history, ended with a 22-22 record. Blake Beaber’s squad notched the best record for Iowa Wesleyan baseball since the Tigers’ 2011 NAIA tournament team.