Post Game Press Conference

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The top two teams in the regional faced off a little earlier than anticipated in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, as each team tried to stave off elimination Friday evening. The 10^th-ranked Hilltoppers came out swinging and jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the teams would trade multiple comeback bids before St. Edward's ultimately fell 8-6 in 10 innings to #3 Colorado Mesa. 
 
The Hilltoppers had an opportunity to scratch a run across in the fourth inning. GABLE WHITACRE drew a one-out walk and moved to second after JOSEPH OLSON ripped a single to left field with two outs. However, Mavericks ace Ryan Reno came up with a key strikeout to end the inning.
 
COLLIN SHERROD was cruising through the fifth inning until he gave up a two-out triple. Sherrod got the next batter to hit a high chopper to shortstop and Wes Harris had just a split second to gather and throw from behind second base. J.D. ARROWOOD stretched out and grasped Harris' throw just a split second before the runner hit the bag. The dugout erupted and the Hilltoppers looked to the bottom half of the inning to find some offense.
 
Sure enough the Hilltoppers fed off of Sherrod's emotion and pushed a run across in the fifth. KEVIN MAYO started the inning with a single up the middle and Wes Harris proceeded to lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third baseline to move Mayo to second. After a fly out to right and KELSIE DANCER reaching with a hit by pitch, NATE TURNER stepped to the plate. Turner was fooled by a breaking pitch and missed to make it a 1-1 count. Mesa's pitcher tried to go back to the well and throw another breaking pitch, but Turner stayed back just enough and lofted it to centerfield for a hit, giving the Hilltoppers a 1-0 lead.
 
The Hilltoppers broke it open in the sixth inning with a mix of small ball and big hitting to open up a 5-0 lead. Gabe Whitacre opened up the inning with a leadoff walk. Olson laid down a bunt and the Mesa catcher overthrew second base, putting runners on first and second. J.D. ARROWOOD came through with a single to right field to bring Whitacre home and give them a 2-0 lead. KEVIN MAYO flied out to centerfield and Olson made his way home to score. Wes Harris stepped to plate and squared up a first pitch fastball, send it to deep right-center field. The ball would drop on the warning track and Harris would slide safely into third with an RBI-triple. DYLAN WATTS would find himself in a 2-2 hole, but he slapped a fastball to second base and Harris came home to push the lead to 5-0.
 
Colorado Mesa battled back in the seventh inning with three runs of its own. Two-straight hits and a walk loaded the bases to start the inning. DYLAN WATTS made a nice diving stab to save a run from coming in for the first out of the inning. Wallingford skipped a single just past the glove of KEVIN MAYO to score the first run. A fielder's choice and a single later would wrap up Sherrod's day and CAM HATCH came in to close the door. Hatch induced a fly out to centerfield and held the lead to 5-3.
 
The Mavericks would claw back to tie it in the eighth inning with back-to-back two-out RBI singles. Hatch would escape the jam with an inning-ending strike out to keep the score at 5-5. However, Colorado Mesa would capture the lead in the ninth inning with an RBI-single and the Hilltoppers found their backs against the wall once again.
 
After the first out, each team was called off of the field for a rain delay that lasted two hours and seven minutes. CUTTER RUNTE, who was trailing with a 1-2 count stepped back to the plate looking to give his team a chance. Runte leaned out over the plate and knocked a single up the middle. After the second out was made, Head Coach Rob Penders went to his bench and called on MILES WRIGHT to pinch run. Wright quickly stole second base and gave STEVEN ROBERTSON the chance to come up with yet another clutch pinch-hit opportunity. After seeing a couple of pitches, Robertson pulled a ball to right field that dropped in the right center gap. Wright blazed around from second base to score and the Hilltoppers bench erupted as the Hilltoppers tied the game at 6-6.
 
However, Mesa scored via a wild pitch and a solo homerun to regain the lead in the 10^th inning, 8-6. St. Edward's would get it's first two runners on in the bottom of the inning, but a 4-6-3 double play and a line out to left ended the game, and the Hilltoppers season.
 
Sherrod did all he could against the explosive Mavericks team. The Hilltoppers ace pitch 6.2 innings allowing just six hits and three runs while striking out five batters. NATE TURNER went 2-for-5 with an RBI and JOSEPH OLSON went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored on the day.
 
Head Coach Rob Penders said, "The fact this game went to extra innings and was such a fantastic game, is a testament to both of these teams. Neither team wanted to give up and both sides stepped up when they needed to. Unfortunately for us we came up a little short, but I was proud of our effort and the fight we showed today."
 
St. Edward's finishes a very memorable season with a 40-13 record and won the Heartland Conference Championship. Penders won his 300^th game and managed to break the school record as the all-time winningest coach in school history along the way.