SUGAR LAND, Texas _ In tournament play, the goal is to survive and advance. The University of Central Arkansas Bears did just that Friday morning with a 5-4 walk-off victory over No. 2 seed Northwestern State in an elimination game at the 2015 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament.
The sixth-seeded Bears (29-23) overcame an early 3-1 deficit and scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Constellation Field.
The Bears had taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when pinch hitter Brandon Montalvo led off with a single and went to second on an error on NSU center fielder Nick Heath on the play. A Charles Deckard ground out sent him to third and he scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
NSU (31-23) scratched out a run to tie it in the top of the ninth on Caleb Dugas' RBI single to right field. Heath Duvic came out of the bullpen for the Demons and UCA third baseman Brad Dillenberger greeted him with a leadoff single that turned into two bases with the added throwing error. Ty Tice had a sacrifice bunt to move Dillenberger to third.
After an intentional walk to Logan Preston, Duvic threw wide of his catcher and Dillenberger came home with the game winner.
"That was a great game, it was competitive all the way through,' said UCA head coach Allen Gum, who saw his 2013 team win five consecutive elimination games to win the SLC championship. "We overcame some mistakes and we just kept fighting. I was proud of our guys. We kept in there and kept in there until we got a break.
"And good teams make their breaks. And the pressure we put on them for nine innings made those breaks happen. I'm proud of our guys for hanging in there and being tough.'
The Demons put up three early runs against UCA starter Riley Echols, but only one was earned. Echols ended up going 7 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and just one earned run.
"He looked like he finally started getting loose,' said Gum of his sophomore right hander. "The radar gun started showing 90 and he was getting loose and kind of got back in a groove. He lasted long enough and that was huge. That was big for him to keep on plugging when things were going rough early.'
UCA matched NSU's first-inning run with a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Travis Hull in the bottom of the inning, but the Demons added two more in the top of the second, aided by a throwing error on a bunt. UCA junior shortstop Logan Preston got the momentum back for the Bears with a long home run to left field on the first pitch of the fourth inning to make it 3-2. It was the 10th home run of the season for Preston, who finished 2 for 4.
The Bears tied it in the fifth when NSU shortstop Joel Atkinson misplayed a two-out ground ball, allowing Dillenberger to score. In the bottom of the eighth, Montalvo singled to center field and went to second on an errant throw. He moved to third on Charles Deckard's ground out. Following an intentional walk to Langley, Montalvo scored on a passed ball for a 4-3 lead.
"Really big at-bat for Montalvo,' Gum said. "Hit a single and turned it into a double with one bobble. That was the play of the game right there, as far as as the offensive side for us. It engergized us and really got us thinking we're going to win this game.'
The Demons pieced together a rally in the top of the ninth against eventual winner Bo Stitch (5-5) to tie the game on Caleb Dugas' two-out RBI single to right field. Stitch, who closed out the Bears' first win on Wednesday, got a fly ball to end the inning.
"(Montalvo's at-bat) was unbelievable,' said Preston. "Monty has done that all year long. He comes in, he doesn't play, doesn't start, but it doesn't matter. He keeps a good head on his shoulders and just comes in and hits doubles for us. He always does that and I'm glad he's on my team.'
UCA totaled 14 hits, with Hull going 3 for 3 and Dillenberger, Tice and Preston getting two hits apiece.
The Bears will face Houston Baptist in another elimination game at 4 p.m. Friday. HBU knocked the Bears into the loser's bracket with a 6-1 loss on Thursday night.
