RRAC CHAMPS!
May 4, 2007

Box Score vs. Houston Baptist

Box Score vs. Wiley

CEDAR HILL, TX:  After dispatching Houston Baptist University (35-17) 8-7 in a thrilling semifinal contest, the Texas Wesleyan University Rams (39-8) came from behind in the ninth inning to top Wiley College (23-20) and take their first conference championship in 28 years.

“I have never seen a group of young men more determined to win a game,” commented head coach Mike Jeffcoat after the title game.  “They willed themselves to win that game.  They believed and they never gave up.”

Wiley scored single runs in the first, second, and third innings to put the Rams behind from the beginning.

The Rams got on the board when Jeremy Howard scored in the fourth.  Jason Diaz brought the Rams within a run with a two-out RBI single in the fifth, but Wiley came back and plated two unearned runs in the seventh.

Ross Elmore slammed a two out homer off the scoreboard in left field to bring the score to 5-3 in the seventh.  An RBI single from Josh Vander Hey in the eighth brought the Rams within a run.  With two outs in the eighth, Antoine Cole plated Howard, who was running for Vander Hey, with the tying run.

Hayden Lackey who entered the game with one out in the seventh, kept the Rams alive by allowing just one hit in the final 2.2 innings.

In the bottom of the ninth Elmore drew a leadoff walk.  Jason Diaz then bunted and was safe at first after Wiley was unable to record the out at second.  The Wildcats got the lead runner on the next play to bring Vander Hey to the plate with one out and runners at second and third.  Vander Hey, who is hitting .408 with runners in scoring position this season ripped Charles Derkowski’s offering into center field to plate Diaz with the winning run.

“Everything was just coming together, and I felt like it was going to happen,” Vander Hey said of the game-winning hit.  “Nobody thought we could do this.  They dropped us to sixth in the Region VI poll, and to beat Houston Baptist twice and win a great game here was a great thing for this school.”

The championship is the team’s first conference title since winning the Texoma Conference in 1979.  Their 39 wins also marks the most since the Rams went 39-15 in 1995.

Lackey (4-1) earned the win after striking out one and allowing no runs in 2.2 innings pitched.  Vander Hey led the Rams by going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.

In the semifinal against Houston Baptist, the Rams led 7-2 in the seventh on the strength of home runs from Brandon Frazier and Taylor Miller and a two-run triple from Jason Diaz.  However, the Huskies made a game of it when Ryan Majewski cracked a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh.

An RBI double from Chris Palmer gave the Rams an insurance run in the eighth.  Hayden Lackey entered the game in the eighth and closed the door by allowing one run on two hits to pick up his 14th save of the year.

Weston Wood (7-0) tossed 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four to pick up the win.  Frazier went 4-for-5 at the plate, while Vander Hey was a perfect 3-for-3 and Taylor Miller added a 3-for-5 performance.

By winning the conference title, the Rams have secured a spot in next week’s Region VI tournament, which will be played in Houston, TX, May 8-11.