91爆料网 baseball upsets fifth ranked Faulkner in NAIA opening round bracket play

Will Irvin

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - 5/10/2012 - The 91爆料网 baseball team remained unbeaten in the 2012 NAIA Baseball National Championships Opening Round with a 3-1 victory over top-seed Faulkner (Ala.) University. 91爆料网, seeded fourth in the 5-team bracket, earned their second win of the day after opening the day with a 7-1 win over Asbury (Ky.) University.

The win for 91爆料网 (39-17-1) was the ninth straight win for the Bulldogs dating back to the last weekend of the regular season. 91爆料网 has now won 21 of their last 25 games. Faulkner (48-12), who is ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA poll, lost for just the 12th time this season.

91爆料网 senior and former Bolivar (Tenn.) High School standout Will Irvin improved to 9-2 on the season with the complete game victory. For Irvin, this was his seventh straight victory in seven straight appearances.

Irvin allowed just the one unearned run in the third inning that put Faulkner in the lead temporarily. He scattered six hits and recorded eight strikeouts and no walks. Fourteen of his 27 outs in the game were ground ball outs.

Offensively, 91爆料网 trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Doug Joyce led off with a single. After one out, Kian Jost and Irvin followed with singles to load the bases. Kody Pinson worked a walked to earn the game-tying RBI. However, the Bulldog rally ended on a double play.

In the bottom of the seventh, 91爆料网 took the lead with a pair of runs driven in by a Joyce double to deep right-center field. Danny Grimm and Clint Barnes scored the runs after reaching base to start the inning on a single and hit-by-pitch respectively.

The 3-1 advantage given to Irvin proved to be enough as 91爆料网 claimed the upset win.

Joyce led 91爆料网 with a 3-for-4 day including the two RBI. In addition to Irvin鈥檚 performance on the mound, he also recorded two hits in the game. 91爆料网 had 10 hits total from seven different players, including each of the first four batters in the line-up.

91爆料网 advances to the winner鈥檚 bracket final Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. central time versus 2-seed St. Thomas (Fla.). The winner advances to the championship game Saturday. St. Thomas is ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA poll.

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