Tigerville, SC - For the second straight year, the North Greenville Crusaders are heading to Cary, North Carolina to play for a NCAA Division II National Championship, winning the first two games of the NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional with 16-8 and 10-7 wins against Belmont Abbey at Ray & Bea Dillard Field. North Greenville relied on the long ball, posting ten combined home runs in the two games. Game one saw
Reece Fields take the mound for his 18th start of the season. Runs did not come at a premium as North Greenville was able to score in all but one inning, hitting seven home runs and scoring sixteen runs on nineteen hits and five walks. Seven of NGU's nineteen hits resulted in a home run, and two more hits resulted in doubles for a total of nine extra base hits.
Reece Fields pitched the first 6.0 innings and earned the win. Game two proved to be a much more competitive contest that required late-game heroics by John Michael Faile.
Brody Fowler took the start on the mound, but both pitchers would run into trouble in the first inning as BAC would lead 4-3 after one inning. Belmont Abbey would add a run to the board with a home run in the second, but John Michael Faile would put NGU out in front with a three run home run in the fourth. BAC responded in the fifth with a run to once again tie things up. Three scoreless innings would go by before John Michael Faile would hit yet another long ball to put North Greenville back out in front by two.
Jalen Vasquez would follow that up with a two run home run of his own. Belmont Abbey would get one run across in the bottom of the inning, but
Michael Rodriguez would retire the final batter as the celebration began for North Greenville. Rodriguez received the win.
Results
- Scores: Game 1 - NGU 16 / BAC 8 | Game 2 - NGU 10 / BAC 7
- Location: Ray & Bea Dillard Field / Tigerville, SC
- Records: NGU 49-9 / BAC 41-18
Individual
- John Michael Faile put together a tournament to remember at the plate, recording five hits with four of them being home runs, nine RBIs, and six runs scored.
- Pat Monteith also had an impressive day at the plate, posting seven hits including two home runs as well as six runs and five RBIs.
- David Lewis finished his afternoon with five hits including a home run and a double as well as three RBIs and two runs.
Upcoming
- NGU will return to action in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship tournament in Cary, North Carolina beginning on Sunday, June 4th.
