CONWAY, Ark. - The Hendrix College baseball team survived a Southern Athletic Association Tournament elimination game by defeating Oglethorpe University 11-6 Saturday night at Warrior Field.
The second-seeded Warriors (23-18), tied their school record for wins in a season set in 2014 by outhitting the sixth seed Stormy Petrels (20-23) 10-8 and drawing nine walks.
Hendrix will now take on the third seed Rhodes Sunday at noon with a tripe to the SAA Finals on the line. The Lynx defeated the Warriors 9-2 earlier Sunday.
Hendrix scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third when junior third baseman
Spencer Summers led off with a single, moved to second on a passed ball, was bunted to third over by freshman second baseman
Jorge Leon, and scored on another passed ball.
Warrior junior starter
Harley Faye retired the first 11 batters he faced until SAA Player of the Year Adrian Celata belted his 14th home run of the season over the left field fence.
Hendrix took control of the game with an eight-run fifth on four hits, three walks and a hit batter. Leon had the big hit of the frame with a two-run single up the middle.
The Petrels managed a run in the top of the sixth on an Austin Ferlita sac fly. Hendrix went up 10-2 in the bottom of the inning when junior left fielder
Wyatt Hogan singled and scored on a
Josh Walker base hit.
Celata drove in two runs in the seventh with a single to center. The Warriors picked up another run in the eighth when sophomore right fielder
Drew Judson singled and later scored on a
Justin Robison ground ball.
Spencer Transue and Celata each drove in a run on base hits in the ninth to make the game 11-6.
Faye (5-3) earned the win, allowing five hits, three earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts over 6.2 innings. Junior
Connor Nelson threw the final 2.1 innings and gave up three hits and two runs. OU starter Kyle Mitchell (4-2) took the loss by giving up six hits, five earned runs and four walks with two stirkeouts over 4.1 frames.
Hendrix Notes
- Fourth-year head coach
Neil Groat tied Jim Holland for second on the program's career win list with 86.
- Judson went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI. It was his 20th multiple-hit game of the season eighth with three or more.
- Hogan was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk.
- Sophomore center fielder
JR McAuley had a hit, a RBI, was hit by a pitch and scored twice.
- Summers recorded a hit, run, RBI, walk and a sacrifice bunt.
Oglethorpe Notes
- Celata finished 3-for-5 with a run scored, four RBI and the homer.
- Second baseman Keith Dearden was 2-for-4 with a double.
