(Easley, SC) – Concordia baseball faced off against #3 seed Warner University on Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the NCCAA World Series. Both teams came into the match with high-powered offenses, but the contest was a pitchers' duel through most of the game. The Cardinals eventually broke through with a 5-run 8th inning, earning a 6-2 win for the program's first NCCAA World Series championship.
Billy Blair (SO/St. Charles, MI) was named the Most Outstanding Player for the NCCAA World Series while Jimmy McKane (JR/Saint Johns, MI) also picked up All-Tournament honors.
Billy Blair started on the mound for Concordia, making his longest start of the year pitching 7.1 innings and notching 4 strikeouts. In the 1st, Blair stranded a Warner runner at third base with a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
The game remained scoreless through the first 2 innings. In the 2nd, Billy Blair stranded another Warner runner at second base by ending the inning with a strikeout.
The Cardinals broke the shutout with a run in the top of the 3rd. Justin Mercer (SR/Howell, MI) and Chris Lowe (JR/DeWitt, MI) started off with singles to get on base. Blaine Milheim (SR/Eaton Rapids, MI) hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field, and pinch runner Jake Moyer (FR/Hartland, Mi) was able to tag up from second base and make it all the way home.
The game continued to be a pitchers' duel with CUAA maintaining a 1-0 lead through the 7th inning. Billy Blair stranded 2 Warner runners in the 5th and 6th inning to keep Concordia ahead.
The Cardinals broke the game open with 5 runs in the 8th. Justin Mercer was hit by a pitch, Chris Lowe laid down a bunt and reach on an error, and Blaine Milheim used a bunt single to load the bases. Grant Steinborn (JR/Flushing, MI) was walked, scoring pinch runner Jake Moyer, and a sacrifice bunt from Preston Sherman (JR/Homer, MI) scored Lowe. Blaine Milheim reached home on a wild pitch and Grant Steinborn scored on a balk. Vann Acker (JR/Eaton Rapids, MI) hit a single, and pinch hitter Kainan Bayn (FR/Zeeland, MI) used an RBI single to score Acker putting CUAA up 6-0.
Warner did break the shutout with 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Jimmy McKane came on to pitch and secured the last two outs of the inning. The Cardinal defense was able to turn a double play in the 9th and a flyout ended the game, securing the 6-2 victory.
