NCAA Division II Championship

Taylor delivers big mood swing

CARY, N.C. -- Henderson State's baseball team fell behind early for the second consecutive game at the NCAA Division II College World Series on Wednesday, and things were beginning to look ominously similar to Monday's loss to Catawba.

Then everything changed with one swing of the bat.

NCAA Division II Baseball Championship

USA Baseball Training Complex Cary, N.C. All times Central

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Henderson State 4, Angelo State 1,

Angelo State eliminated

Cal Poly-Pomona 5, Mercyhurst 1,

Mercyhurst eliminated

TODAY’S GAMES

Henderson State vs. Tampa, 11 a.m.

Cal Poly-Pomona vs. Catawba, 3 p.m.

Then everything changed with one swing of the bat.

Really Reddie

With more victory at the NCAA Division II World Series, Henderson State will tie a school record with its 34th victory:

YEAR RECORD

2009 34-16

2015 33-20

2010 31-18

2005 31-22

1985 28-10

1982 28-11

1978 27-10

2003 26-28

1983 26-9

1986 25-14

2013 24-27

1965 24-8

SOURCE Henderson State University

Jordan Taylor's two-run home run in the top of the third did more than just give the Reddies the lead against Angelo State. It helped settle them down and regain their confidence on the way to a 4-1 elimination game victory against the Rams.

The victory at the USA Baseball National Training Center advances HSU into today's semifinals, where they'll play unbeaten Tampa at 11 a.m. Central in the double-elimination national championship tournament.

"We've played so relaxed because we'd always scored first," said Reddies Coach Cody Hooten, whose team had scored at least one run in the first inning of every NCAA Tournament game until Monday's loss. "We didn't score first last game. We didn't score first this game. But once [Taylor] hit that home run, you kind of felt everybody in the dugout go, 'We're fine, we're good.' And we battled from there."

Battle is the operative word.

Although HSU didn't allow another run the rest of the way behind the pitching of starter Cody Jones, Taylor and Nick Vanthillo, beating Angelo State for the second time in this tournament was anything but easy.

The Reddies failed to score after loading the bases with nobody out in the fourth, then had to survive two jams over the final two innings when Vanthillo had trouble finding the plate.

In the end, though, they found a way to hang on for their 33rd victory of the season -- one shy of the school record of 34 set in 2009.

"We pitched extremely well," Hooten said. "We found a way to scratch across enough runs, and we live to fight another day."

Angelo State (42-18) got on the scoreboard first when David Goggin led off the bottom of the first with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a triple into the right-center gap by J.C. Snyder.

It turned out to be the only run the Rams would score in 18 innings against HSU.

The Reddies' bats began to come to life in the top of the third when leadoff man Hunter Mayall started things with a single up the middle. Two batters later, Taylor turned on an inside fastball and sent it over the wall just inside the foul pole in right for his third home run of the year.

"I was looking for something I could drive, got the pitch and hit it well," Taylor said. "It was good to get some numbers on the board and be ahead at that point."

HSU (33-20) added to its lead in the fifth when, with two outs and Claude Johnson on second, Lance Fields' bloop into center field found the perfect spot between three San Angelo fielders for a run-scoring double. Hawkins followed with a double inside the bag at third to give his team a cushion.

"It's always great to have insurance runs," Fields said.

The Reddies almost needed them when usually reliable closer Vanthillo came in and walked the bases loaded with one out in the eighth.

The junior right-hander wiggled out of that mess by getting Cameron Massengill to hit into a double play, then after bringing the tying run to the plate again in the ninth on another walk and a bunt single, he retired the next two men to earn his school-record 14th save.

"I bit a hole in some gum, I'll tell you that," Hooten said of the final two innings. "Nick Vanthillo is first-team All-America for a reason. Even though he was shaky today, I wasn't too worried. He's a big-time pitcher, and I was confident he'd find it and get it done."

Sports on 05/28/2015

Upcoming Events