Box Score

JACKSON, Miss. – Down by two runs, the Hendrix College baseball team rallied to score seven in the top of the ninth to defeat #25 Millsaps College 13-8 and advance to the Southern Athletic Association Tournament Semifinals.

The Warriors (21-20) will play Sunday at noon against whoever survives elimination between the host and top-seeded Majors (29-11), Oglethorpe and Sewanee. Hendrix would have to lose twice on Sunday to be put out of the tournament. Sunday's winner will play next weekend in a best-of-three series against the winner of the semifinals at #2 Birmingham-Southern's pod.

Millsaps took an early 3-0 lead after two innings. Hendrix cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth on a Seth Mobley RBI-single and an error, resulting in two runs. The Warriors took a 6-3 advantage with four runs on five hits in the fifth. Junior first baseman Thomas Weber and sophomore Matt Simmons both had run-scoring singles in the frame. Junior Jacob Perschke and Mobley also drove in runs.

The Majors cut the deficit to 6-5 on a Keith Shumaker two-run double in the sixth. They went ahead in the bottom of the eighth when catcher Wes Perkins hit a three-run double with the bases loaded.

Junior center fielder Collin Radack led the top of the ninth off with a single, Weber doubled and Simmons was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Radack was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice ground ball hit by sophomore third baseman Brady Newville to keep the bases loaded with one out. Perschke followed with a base hit, scoring pinch runner Nick Land and Simmons to tie the game at 8-8. Mobley singled and junior left fielder Austin Womack drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Newville's go-ahead run. Ritz plated Perschke on a fielder's choice that resulted in an error. Freshman second baseman Charlie St. Clair also hit into a fielder's choice and an error, resulting in two more runs scoring. With the bases loaded again, freshman pinch hitter Brandon Smith singled to left, scoring Ritz for the final run of the game.

Perschke went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven in. Mobley had a pair of hits and two RBI and threw his 20th runner out of the season from behind the plate. Radack and Weber had three hits each and Newville added a pair of hits. Simmons scored three times.

Perkins, third baseman Stephen Gates and right fielder William Chenoweth had three hits each for the Majors.

Perschke (2-4) also picked up the win in relief. He went 2.1 innings, giving up three hits, three runs, two walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Daniel Imbro induced three fly outs in the ninth to end the game for Hendrix. Reliever Harper Grier (6-2) was tagged with the loss, going 4.1 innings and giving up six hits, four earned runs and two walks.

For the game, the Warriors outhit the Majors 18-10. Millsaps also committed four errors.