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LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.-- No. 4 seed Point Park (Pa.) University beat No. 1 seed Hope International (Calif.) University, 20-8, in its first game of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round on Tuesday, May 17. The Pioneers (38-14) move on to the winner's bracket of the four-team, double-elimination tournament in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Point Park put up 20 runs and 15 hits versus the Royals (41-14), who are the champions of the Golden-State Athletic Conference. Ed Pfluger and Carlos Sanchez powered the offense while Easton Klein threw the first 7.0 innings giving up only two runs and striking out 11.
The Pioneers will face No. 2 seed and bracket host Georgia Gwinnett College (42-14) in the winner's bracket on Tuesday, May 17 at approximately 8:00 pm ET. The game will begin 50 minutes after the 4:00 pm ET elimination game between Hope International and No. 3 seed William Carey (Miss.).
The winner of the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville (Ga.) Bracket will advance to the NAIA World Series May 27-June 3 in Lewiston, Idaho. The opening round continues on Wednesday, and if necessary, on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Point Park jumped on No. 1 seed Hope International early scoring in the first four innings for a 9-0 lead. Point Park started off the game with four line drives to load the bases with two outs for Isaac Santana. He followed with a bases-clearing triple for a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, Carlos Burroughs led off with a double to the wall in right-center. A few batters later, Luis Hernandez delivered a base hit up the middle for a 4-0 lead. That was it for Royals starting pitcher Seth Hoeker, the No. 2 pitcher on staff.
Ed Pfluger smashed his 13th homer of the year to start the third, and the Pioneers were up 5-0. That came versus lefty reliever Bailey Roberson.
Hope International went to a third pitcher, Isaac Guerrero, for the fourth inning. A couple of singles, three hit batters and a couple of errors allowed the Pioneers to stretch things out to 9-0 with another four runs in that frame.
Point Park starter Easton Klein, meanwhile, gave up only one hit through the first four innings. A single, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but Klein got a groundout to end it and keep the shutout going.
The Pioneers made it 11-0 with two more runs in the sixth. Carlos Sanchez had an RBI double as the key hit.
Hope International got on the board with a solo homer to start the bottom of the sixth, but Klein was not shaken. He struck out the side to move to the seventh. In the Point Park seventh, Pfluger ripped a run-run single to make it 13-1.
Klein ended up pitching 7.0 innings with just four hits and two runs allowed. He allowed a run in the seventh, but he got through the inning and picked up his 11th strikeout of the day to leave the bases loaded and keep the score at 13-2.
Point Park broke the game open again with seven runs in the top of the eighth. Sanchez had the big blow once again with a grand slam, which made the score 20-2 and capped off the big inning.
Pfluger led the way going 4 for 5 with four runs, a homer and three RBIs. Sanchez ended up 3 for 5 with a double, grand slam and five RBIs. Edwin De La Rosa and Burroughs had two hits apiece. Scoring three runs each were Hernandez, Jared Campbell and Gianmarco Marcelletti, the first three hitters in the order.
