RGV Capsules: Scorpions to play in Oklahoma City in NAIA opening round
The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College will meet Doane College (Neb.) on Thursday as the fourth seed in the Oklahoma City bracket of the opening round of the NAIA Baseball National Championship, the NAIA announced Sunday.
The tournament field of 45 teams is spread out among nine sites around the country. Five teams participate in each of the nine sites in a double-elimination format beginning Thursday.
Other teams in the Oklahoma City bracket include: No. 1 seed Oklahoma City University (43-10), the second-ranked team in the country from the Sooner Athletic Conference and the top at-large team selected; No. 2 Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) (30-19), the 18th-ranked team in the country from the Golden State Athletic Conference, and the No. 11 at-large team selected; No. 3 Belhaven University (Miss.) (43-16), the 20th-ranked team in the country and the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament champion; No. 5 Doane College (Neb.) (34-17), unranked and the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament champion.
The Scorpions will play Doane in the tournament's first game at 11 a.m. Thursday at Jim Wade Stadium. The winner plays Oklahoma City at 6 p.m. Thursday, while the loser plays at 11 a.m. Friday against the loser of the Thursday 2:30 p.m. game in an elimination game.
The Scorpions enter the opening round with a 35-24 record. UTB-TSC qualified for the round by placing among the two teams in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament on May 3 in Shreveport, La. LSU-Shreveport won the tournament championship 10-1 over the Scorpions.
The 2011 season marks the second straight year the Scorpions have qualified for the opening round. In 2010, UTB-TSC participated in the group hosted by Lubbock Christian and placed fourth out of the five teams.
LSU-Shreveport will play in the Montgomery, Ala., bracket. Northwood, which finished third in the conference tournament, received the 13th and final at-large berth in the tournament and will play in Lubbock. The 45-team field includes 32 teams from 23 conference and affiliated groups, and 13 at-large teams.
The nine sites and the host or top-seeded teams include: Daytona Beach, Fla., hosted by No. 1 Embry-Riddle University; Oklahoma City, hosted by No. 2 Oklahoma City University; Riverside, Calif., hosted by No. 3 California Baptist University, Joliet, Ill., with the top-seeded team No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist University; Paducah, Ky., with the top-seeded team No. 5 Cumberland University (Tenn.); Montgomery, Ala., with the top-seeded team No. 6 LSU-Shreveport, Cleveland, Tenn., hosted by No. 7 Lee University; Kingsport, Tenn., with the top seeded team No. 8 Union College (Ky.); Lubbock, hosted by No. 9 Lubbock Christian University
The winners at the nine opening round sites will qualify to play in the Avista-NAIA World Series from May 27 through June 3 in Lewiston, Idaho.
Broncs swept by Utah Valley
EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American lost its sixth straight 5-2 against the Utah Valley University Wolverines on Sunday at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
The Wolverines (23-20, 15-1) got the scoring started in the top of the first with an RBI double by Chris Benson. With the bases loaded, Goose Kallunki hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Cole McWhorter to score from third giving Utah Valley the 2-0 lead.
Vincent Mejia got the Broncs (19-23, 8-12) on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, his third of the season.
In the sixth, Austin Heaps started the inning with a double and then Kallunki followed with a single to left field. One out later, Court Zollinger hit an RBI infield single that allowed Heaps to score from third, extending the Wolverines’ lead to 3-1.
Utah Valley added to its lead in the top of the seventh when Heaps drove in Jason Zundel with an RBI fielder’s choice. With runners on the corners, Kallunki hit an RBI single to center field that allowed McWhorter to score pushing UVU’s lead 5-1.
The Broncs picked up a run in the ninth when a fielding error allowed Mike McCarthy to score from second, but Ryan Chadwick retired Stuart MacInnes.
Blake Krahenbuhl (5-2) picked up the victory after allowing just one run in seven and two-third innings pitched and striking out three. Zach Zouzalik (3-1) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on six hits.
UTPA travels to Westbury, N.Y., to face the New York Institute of Technology Bears in a four-game conference series that begins Friday, May 13. The first pitch is at 3 p.m.
-- UTPA Services
UTPA women win minority championship
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The University of Texas-Pan American women’s golf team shot a final-round 304 to hold off Hampton (Va.) by two strokes to win the 2011 PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship on Sunday at the PGA Golf Club.
The UTPA men finished the tournament in second place behind Bethune-Cookman after shooting a final-round 298.
The Broncs women, who finished with a team total of 921, were once led by the strong play of Haley Hocott. The senior, for the second straight day, fired a three-over-par 75 and finished with a three-day 227 and tied for second for the women’s individual title.
Elena Arroyo also carded 75 on Sunday and finished second on the Broncs leaderboard with a three-day 230. Majo Camey and Samantha Garcia each tallied a final round 77. Camey’s total was 232, while Garcia finished at 237. Melinda Uriegas finished the tournament with a 233 total after shooting a 78 on Sunday.
"My girls played so well and this championship was in the balance all weekend," said Ofelia Lopez, the Texas-Pan American women's coach. "I told my girls not to try and be heroes and they played as a team all week. For them to all break 80 the last two rounds, speaks volumes about our team."
The women’s championship was the second in three years and fifth all-time for the UTPA women’s golf program.
On the men’s side, the Broncs entered the final round trailing by six strokes and shot 298, their best total of the tournament, but fell short finishing as the runner-up to Bethune Cookman. BCU shot a final round 292 and finished with a three-day 887, 12 strokes ahead of UTPA. The Broncs were the defending champions.
Santiago Bueno has the best score among the men’s scorecards Sunday with a two-under par 70. Bueno finished with a 219 for the tournament. Kevin Kirakossian led all Broncs scorecards with a three-day total of 218. Kirakossian shot a one-over-par 73 on Sunday.
Jonathan Sloss finished third on the UTPA sheet with a 230 for the weekend after his third-round 79. Walker Barrett also shot 79 on Sunday and shot 242 for the tournament. A.J. Gonzalez shot a final-round 76 and 232 for the tournament.
This was the final event of the 2011 season for UTPA men’s and women’s golf.
-- UTPA Services
