COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN SLUGFEST FINAL
May 2, 2008

Box Score

BROWNSVILLE, TX:  The 18th ranked Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (40-14) nearly pulled off a stunning comeback in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament finals against Northwood University (26-23) before falling 13-12 on Friday.

The Rams, needing a win to force a second game, took a 3-1 lead after getting an RBI single from Zach Smith and a sac fly from Brandon Frazier in the first and an RBI single from Antoine Cole in the third.

The Knights then took a 4-3 edge after taking advantage of a leadoff home run from Justin Parks and two Texas Wesleyan errors in the third.

The Rams came back with a double from Cole and a two-run homer from Butch Ballez in the fifth, but Northwood added two in the sixth and then scored seven runs on six hits in the seventh to open a 13-5 lead.

The rally started in the bottom of the eighth when Ryan Ragsdale led off with a base hit.  Senior Brad Henderson, who has come up with numerous clutch pinch-hits this season, then delivered a pinch-hit two-run bomb.  The Rams went on to add three more runs and close the gap to 13-10.

In the bottom of the ninth, Texas Wesleyan got an RBI double from Blake Walker and a sac fly from Smith to bring the score to 13-12.  The Rams had the tying run at second and the winning run at first when Northwood’s Alberto Gutierrez finally got out of the inning with a groundball. 

Jesse Wright (2-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs, four earned, on 13 hits while striking out six in six innings of work.

Cole went 3-for-4 at the plate while Ragsdale was 3-for-5.  Ballez, Smith, and Fisher each added a pair of hits.  Both team’s totaled 20 hits in the contest.  Every Ram who had an at bat hit safely at least once.

Both teams have earned automatic bids to next week’s NAIA Region VI Tournament.  That tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 6, in Oklahoma City, OK.