Trojans Win Game One at NAIA Tourney
May 12, 2009
The Taylor University Trojans baseball team rallied with four straight runs Tuesday to defeat The Master's College (Calif.) 4-3 in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round in Rome, Ga. Taylor (37-17), the No. 5 seed in the Georgia bracket, will face top-seeded Berry College at 7 p.m. tonight.
The Master's moved the score board first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning after taking advantage of a Taylor error and an infield single to put its first two batters on base. With no outs a two-RBI double to the center field wall gave the Mustangs an early 2-0 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Taylor Kinzer took control of the game from there allowing just three hits and five base runners over the next seven innings with one run in the fifth. Kinzer remained perfect on the season improving his record to 8-0.
"Taylor pitched a great game," head coach Kyle Gould said. "He responded to two early runs and competed very well. It was a gutsy effort."
Trailing 3-0 in the sixth inning freshman Ryne Otis blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall to narrow the deficit to 3-2. The long ball was Otis' team-leading eighth of the season.
While pleased with the effort, Gould was not surprised by the freshman's big-game performance. "Ryne was on a 36-0 high school state championship team," Gould said. "He is not a stranger to the big stage. He struggled early on in the season, but he has come on strong and that's the kind of play we've seen him make as of late."
In the top of the eighth frame Taylor used a team effort to move leadoff hitter Matt Maple to third base before Cassidy Emery drove in the second baseman with an infield single.
With the score knotted at 3-3 the Trojans loaded the bases for Mid-Central College Conference Player of the Year, Michael Kraynak, in the top of the final inning. The team's RBI leader (60) connected on a sacrifice fly ball to right field that scored Nate Hillery for the eventual winning run.
From there, Kraynak took the mound in relief and struck out the final batter for his eighth save of the season. The Trojans posted 14 hits in the game led by Hillery's 3-for-4 outing.
"This was a great win against one of the better teams we have seen this season," Gould said. "Every game you play at this point, though, the teams just get better."
Taylor will face the host team, Berry College, tonight for the fourth time this season. The two squads met for a three-game series in late March during Taylor's spring break tour. The Trojans swept the double header on the first day of the trip by the scores of 11-5 and 4-3. It was one of just two times No. 4 Berry was swept this season.
The game will be broadcasted via live audio feed and a live stats feed on the Trojans' Championship Central page.