BOSSIER CITY, La. – GAME 1 – Blue Mountain Christian made its first NAIA National Championship appearance here this week, and a trip to the NAIA World Series will have to wait.
The Opener would see a rain delay and a big seventh inning by Talladega, as the Toppers dropped the first game 20-7.
Blue Mountain's high-powered offense would be on display in the very first inning.
The Toppers got an RBI single from Carson Gault to right that drove in Hayden Redding.  Redding started the rally with a double off the left field wall off Talladega starter Jose Franco.
Josiah Rivera would then knock in in two with a check swing that fell down the right field line and Gavin Coles would drive him in with a single to make it 4-0 Blue Mountain.
The Toppers turned to righty Matthew Koch in the opener.  The Tornadoes would get a sac-fly in the bottom of the first to make it 4-1.
The Tornadoes would tie it 4-4 in the second, highlighted by an RBI triple from Darlin Fernandez.
Talladega would take a 6-4 lead in the same inning, with national batting champion Miguel Oropeza driving in a run with a dribbler base hit to third and Nomar Garcias driving in a run with a single.
In the third, Blue Mountain's Austin Garrison teed off on an inside fastball from Franco, planting it over the left-center field fence to cut the lead to 6-5.
The Tornadoes would get two more in the fourth with a pair of RBI singles from Fernandez and Oropeza, chasing Koch from the game.
Reliever Ammon Murphy would come on in for Blue Mountain to close out the fourth, but the Tornadoes would get a sac-fly in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-5.
The Toppers cut into the lead in the sixth, as Hayden Redding and two Toppers scored unearned to make it 9-7.
Talladega answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run single from Armando Jackson against Murphy to make it 11-7.  Jesse Hancock was brought on in relief for BMCU to get the final two outs of the inning.
In the top of the seventh, BMCU would load the bases with two outs, but Talladega's Ramses Ortega would get a check swing strikeout against Garrison to get out of trouble.
The rains came and the game was suspended and moved Tuesday to Bossier Parish Community College.
The Tornadoes wasted little time with Garcias doubling in three runs against BMCU reliever Caleb Bass in the seventh.  BMCU couldn't muster any more runs, falling in the opener.
Redding and Rivera both had three hits for the Toppers, while Gault and Garrison had a pair each.
Blue Mountain would use six pitchers in the loss, surrendering 15 walks to Talladega batters.
 
GAME 2
The Toppers would meet up with No. 2 Seed and nationally ranked No. 18 Concordia (Neb.) in the elimination game, with the Bulldogs closing the season for Blue Mountain 14-5.
It would be the first time the two programs have ever faced off in competition, and it was anyone's ball game up until the eighth inning.
The Bulldogs would get a three-run homer to left by NAIA career home run leader Joey Grabanski off BMCU starter Cole Giordano in the first inning.
The Bulldogs plated three more later, but the Toppers began to chip away at the lead with Ty Roberson, Gavin Coles and Carson Gault all getting RBI singles to make it 6-3 at the end of four.
In the bottom of the sixth, Blue Mountain would get a two-run single to left by Will Crawford against Bulldog starter Caden Johnson, chasing him from the game and making it 6-5.
BMCU reliever Jesse Hancock came on and kept the Toppers in it until the top of the eighth when Concordia's Jaidan Quinn belted a grand slam to center.
The Bulldogs would get a three-run double by Grabanski in the top of the ninth against reliever Jackson Siler.
Roberson and Coles would have two hits each for the Toppers, while Crawford drove in two.
"I'm awful proud of how our guys have competed this season," BMCU head coach Taylor Clark said.  "We saw a lot of historical moments inside our program, and I suspect we'll see more next season.  This is a great group of guys who we've really enjoyed coaching.  It's been a great experience reaching our goal of earning a spot in the opening round of the national championship, and this will only make us want it more next year."
BMCU closes the season with its second 30-win season in program history, as they finish 31-23.
 

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