Matchup: (rv) Keiser University Seahawks vs No. 13 Texas A&M University Victoria Jaguars
Records: Keiser Seahawks
(36-18)
vs. Texas A&M - Victory Jaguars (36-17)
Score: Keiser 5, Texas A&M - Victoria 1
Pitchers of Record: W:
C. Hawkes (8-3), L: B. Zeplin (10-2) S:
S. Broadwell (5)
Time of Game: 2:30 PM PT / 5:30 PM ET
Harris Field - Lewiston, Id.
LEWISTON, Idaho – Behind a stifling pitching performance, the No. 4 seed Keiser eliminated No. 2 seed and No. 13-ranked Texas A&M-Victoria, 5-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Harris Field to advance in the postseason.
The Seahawks struck early and never looked back. Jeremy Garcia led off the bottom of the first by striking out, but Elian Collado reached on a hit by pitch and immediately went to work. Jake Olsen grounded out to move Collado to second, and with two outs, Collado took off and stole third before scoring on a throwing error by the Jaguar catcher to make it 1-0. Tad Brooks drew a walk, and Chris Sorge singled to shortstop, sending Brooks all the way to third. Sorge then stole second, setting the table for Avery Doezie, who delivered a two-RBI single up the middle to plate both Brooks and Sorge and push the lead to 3-0.
The Jaguars threatened in the second, loading the bases with nobody out after a single and two hit batters against starter Kyle Keyes. Roberto Olguin brought one home with a groundout to make it 3-1, but Keyes answered by inducing a pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play to end the inning and strand the remaining runners. It was the closest A&M-Victoria would get all afternoon.
Keyes worked four solid innings, allowing just one earned run. He gave way to a bullpen that was nothing short of dominant, as Bastyan Hernandez, Allen Leitner, Carson Hawkes, and Seth Broadwell combined to keep the Jaguar lineup off the board through the final five innings. The Keiser pitching staff struck out 10 on the day while the Jaguars stranded 15 baserunners and went 1-for-15 with runners on base.
The Seahawks put the game away in the eighth. Maddox Shaver led off but struck out looking, and pinch-hitter Maurice Maiquez singled up the middle to keep the inning alive. Andres Balart followed with a single through the right side, moving Maiquez to second. Jeremy Garcia lined out to shortstop for the second out, but Maiquez and Balart executed a double steal — Balart to second, Maiquez to third. Collado then delivered the knockout blow, singling to left to drive in both runners and push the lead to 5-1, though he was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning.
Broadwell closed the door in the ninth, striking out Jose Montanez, getting Jackson Purcell to line out to center, and fanning Zion Hankins to seal the victory and earn his fifth save of the season. Carson Hawkes picked up the win, improving to 8-3.
Doezie led the offense going 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI. Collado added a hit and two RBI, while Shaver finished 2-for-3 with a walk. Keiser committed zero errors in the afternoon.
The Seahawks survive and advance and will face the loser of tonight's game between Hope International and Lewis-Clark State.
- With the win, Keiser moves to 36–18 overall
- Keiser's bullpen was perfect over the final five innings, with four pitchers — Hernandez, Leitner, Hawkes, and Broadwell — combining to allow zero runs
- Carson Hawkes improved to 8-3 on the season with the win, continuing to be one of the most reliable arms in the Keiser bullpen
- Seth Broadwell earned his fifth save of the season, throwing just 12 pitches — 10 of them strikes — in a dominant closing effort
- Keiser did not commit a single error on the afternoon, playing clean defensively throughout all nine innings
- Avery Doezie reached base three times — once on a hit and twice via walk — despite having only two official at-bats, delivering the go-ahead blow with a two-RBI single in the first
- Both of Keiser's multi-RBI performances on the day came with two outs — Doezie in the first and Collado in the eighth
- Pinch hitter Maurice Maiquez came up big in the eighth, delivering a single up the middle that ignited the two-run insurance rally
- Keiser stole four bases on the afternoon, with aggressive baserunning playing a key role in both the first and eighth inning rallies
- Maddox Shaver finished 2-for-3 with a walk out of the seven spot, providing consistent production in the bottom of the order
- Kyle Keyes stranded multiple threats across his four innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second with a double play to keep Keiser firmly in control
The Seahawks survive and advance and will face the loser of tonight's game of Hope International and Lewis-Clark State at 5:30 PM ET.
