#4 Southeastern Baptist College edged #7 Bob Jones University to win tonight's game 9-7 in the South Regional Tournament in Mocksville, North Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins have been eliminated from the regional tournament as their season comes to a close.
"According to the seeding, we were not supposed to be here tonight," said Head Coach Brent Casteel. "But the team proved to be a higher seed then what they were labeled. They battled hard and earned a third game in the regional tournament. Never giving up, they played tonight's game with a lot of heart but fell short by two runs. I'm proud of the way they ended our season."
The Bruins came into the postseason as the #7 seed. After falling to #2 Carolina University in their first game of the regional tournament, the Bruins fought back in their first elimination game to come away with a win over #6 Trinity Baptist College and keep their championship hopes alive.
A year after their first meeting in last year's regional tournament where the Bruins took the 6-5 victory, the two schools met on the field again tonight.
A lead off home run from Colby Hogan got the Bruins off to a hot start and to an early lead. Conley Burk then hit a two RBI double to send two runners home before an RBI single from Daniel Wood brought the score to four for the Bruins at the end of the first inning.
Some great defensive plays in the bottom of the second kept the game 4-0 in favor of the Bruins, but Southeastern would charge back in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 4-4.
Heading into the top of the fifth inning, the Bruins saw themselves down 7-4. The team saw a spark with runners on the corners after a double from Daniel Barcena followed by a single by Conley Burk. As Daniel Wood came up to bat, he hit an inside the park home run to bring all three players across home plate to tie the game up once again.
Bob Jones fought hard to hold off their opponents for the final innings, but the Chargers scored twice more in the bottom of the sixth to bring the final score to 9-7 sending the Bruins home and ending their postseason play.
"This team learned to battle with a lot of grit," said Coach Casteel. "I believe the Lord is pleased with how they've responded both on and off the field this season."
Battling through a tough schedule, the Bruins ended their second season with a 10-31 record. The team looks to bring back a core group of returners for their third season of Bruins baseball.
