UTB-TSC: Scorpions survive in wild win over Northwood

SHREVEPORT, La. - The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College scored 13 runs and survived a seven-run Northwood ninth inning for a wild 13-12 win in their Red River Athletic Conference tournament game Sunday night at Pilots' Field.

UTB-TSC now faces LSU-Shreveport at 11:30 a.m. Monday in a matchup of the only two unbeaten teams after the first two days of the tournament. Northwood faces Wiley College at 3 p.m. in an elimination game. The winner of the 3 p.m. game faces the loser of the 11:30 a.m. game at 6:30 p.m.

Northwood went ahead 1-0 after the first inning and 5-0 after four innings before the Scorpions erupted. UTB-TSC scored the final 13 straight runs. The Scorpions scored six in the fourth, three in the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth.

Julian Moya started for the Scorpions and went 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three earned runs and six hits. He struck out four and walked three. Chris Raley relieved Moya in the fifth and went the rest of the way. He allowed seven hits and earned the victory

It was a game of streaks. Northwood starting pitcher Frank Abbl retired the first nine Scorpions he faced when the Knights were holding a 5-0 lead.

Then came the Scorpions' uprising. UTB-TSC had the first six players reach base, five on hits, and sent 12 men to the plate in a six-run inning. Suddenly, the Scorpions had a 6-5 lead.

With a 10-5 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, Maldonado and Warner went back-to-back over the left-field fence to make it 12-5.

The Scorpions had 11 hits, and received solo home runs from Peter Maldonado and Matt Warner in the eighth inning. Felix Fanaselle then reached second base on an infield error, went to third on a single by Gilberto Puente. He then scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-5. Little did anyone know Fanaselle's run was winning run of the game.

Northwood finally touched Raley in the ninth, with the big blow a three-run home run to make it a 13-12 game. Raley was relieved by Zach Armstrong, who gave up a single but got the final out on a fielder's choice, ending the three-hour, 20-minute marathon game.

Warner went 3-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the Scorpions. Maldonado, Fanaselle and Puente each had two hits. Jorge Camorlinga, Warner, Fanaselle and courtesy runner Brad Regehr each scored twice. Maldonado drove in three runs and Fanaselle two.

RRAC Tournament Glance

Saturday, April 30

Game 2: No. 2 Northwood def. No. 5 Wiley College, 11-8

Game 3: No. 4 UTB/TSC def. No. 3 Texas Wesleyan, 14-4

Game 1: No. 1 LSU-Shreveport def. No. 6 Texas College, 15-1

Sunday, May 1

Game 4: Wiley College 11, Texas College 1 (Texas College eliminated; record 27-27)

Game 5: LSU-Shreveport 11, Texas Wesleyan 0 (Texas Wesleyan eliminated; record 31-23)

Game 6: UTB-TSC 13, Northwood 12

Monday, May 2

Game 7: LSU-Shreveport vs. UTB-TSC, 11:30 a.m.

Game 8: Wiley vs. Northwood, 3 p.m.

Game 9: Loser of 11:30 a.m. game vs. Winner of 3 p.m. game

Tuesday, May 3

Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 11: Game 10 winner vs. Game 10 loser, 4:30 p.m. (if necessary)