Tabor Baseball Team Makes History
The Tabor College baseball team advanced to its first-ever trip to the Avista-NAIA World Series after defeating fifth-seeded Viterbo University by the score of 5-1 in the championship game of the NAIA Opening Round Tournament Hutchinson, Kan., bracket May 15. It took just three games for the No. 1 seed and 10th-ranked Bluejays to earn the opening round tournament title and a trip to the World Series. Senior pitcher Alex Mann was spectacular in his first start of the tournament. The big right-hander needed just 92 pitches to finish off a complete game performance. Mann allowed just one unearned run on five hits, while striking out six. Senior Kevin Seeger got the Bluejays on the board in the first inning with an RBI double down the left field line that scored fellow senior Kirk Rocha, giving Tabor a quick 1-0 lead. Viterbo would tie the score in the top of the fourth as a costly
error allowed senior Matt Watkins to score from third with two outs in the inning. Senior Grant Silva gave the Bluejays the lead back in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single to the gap in left center field scoring junior Pete Lelich from second base. The scoring for Tabor continued in the fifth as junior Armando Castillo scored on a passed ball and a throwing error by the catcher. Silva drove in the Bluejays fourth run of the game on a single to right that scored senior Shaun Reid from third. Rocha drove in the game’s final run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single to right field that scored Silva from third. Silva led Tabor at the plate going 3-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Rocha went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Tabor outhit Viterbo 11-5 for the game. The V-Hawks committed three errors to the Bluejays’ one. Alex Mann
Results from NAIA Opening Round National Championship – Hutchinson, Kansas Bracket
Grant Silva rounds first base.
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Game 1 on May 12 – Tabor 3, Viterbo 2 Game 2 on May 13 – Tabor 4, University of Jamestown 0 Game 3 on May 15 – Tabor 5, Viterbo 1