Rogers State of Oklahoma will play for the national championship on Friday night following another comeback victory at the NAIA World Series. Colton Campbell delivered the eventual game-winning hit in the 7th inning as the Hillcats rallied past #2-seed Lee of Tennessee 7-5 Wednesday at Harris Field.
Hillcat outfielder Eric Baker tied the game with his second two-run double and wound up with three hits and four runs batted in.
On the mound, Casey Cassity pitched 6 innings of 2 hit, shutout ball to earn his first series win.
Lee ends its season with a 56-11-1 record.
In the nightcap – Lousiana State – Shreveport handed Tennessee Wesleyan its first tournament loss 7-3 behind the pitching of senior right-hander Jared Mortensen.
The Pilots scored 5 runs in the 2nd inning on four hits and two errors, but it was Mortensen who was the story, with a complete game effort. The LSU-S ace dominated – allowing 3 runs on 7 hits with 9 strikeouts while throwing 128 pitches.
The Pilots improved to 54-5, while Bulldogs fell to 51-12.
The win also means, Rogers State, by virtue of not having had a bye earlier in the tournament, advances into the national championship game Friday at 6:30pm PDT and LSU-Shreveport and Tennessee Wesleyan, who have both had bye, will play again Thursday to see who advances to play the Hillcats for the title.
Thursday’s game is scheduled for 6:30pm PDT with live coverage on Talk Radio 950 KOZE-AM and online at www.koze-sports.com.
