Greeneville, TN -
CBC Head Coach Brian Bauerle cashed a winning trifecta ticket in Saturday's opener of the NJCAA Division III College World Series. With the 6-5 victory over #4 ranked Oakton Community College, he added to wins over the #2 (Tyler Junior College) and #3 (Brookhaven College) ranked teams in the country in the last two weeks.
Cougar clean-up hitter Eric Martinez got the scoring party underway when he led off the second inning with a double down the left-field line. He would moved to the third on a passed ball, and scored on a groundout by Kane Mendieta.
CBC would turn it up a notch in the fourth. Ryan Davenport got things started with a single. He would gallop home on Ruben Sepulveda's double to right center before moving to third on an Oakton error on a long fly ball by Martinez to deep center. They would both score when Mendieta roped a triple to center pushing the Cougars out to a 4-0 lead.
Isaiah Aguilar doubled off the wall to start the seventh inning before coming home on another Davenport hit - as he was a perfect four for four with a walk on the day.
The Owls would not go quietly scoring four runs in the bottom of the 8th and 9th innings to push the game to the extra stanza.
The Cougars opened the 10th with double down the left field line by Zach Seigrist. Mendieta was then hit by a pitch, bringing up catcher Garrett Whitaker's bunt was well played to retire Siegrist at third. Bret Copeland then got doinked on the head to load the bases. An Aguilar fly ball to right scored Mendieta and returned the lead to the Cougars.
Left hander JJ Sanchez got the start for the Cougars and pitched a gem striking out four Owls, until injuriing his leg in the fourth. Hudson Oliver came on to hold the Owls to a single run, then retired the next ten batters in order before a couple defensive miscues plated four Oakton runs. Alec Cruz who came in in the bottom of the 9th inning ending an Owl threat and then retired three of the four batters he faced in the bottom of the 10th to earn the win.
With the win, the Cougars move to the Winner's Bracket Semi-Final and await the winner of the Tyler Junior College vs. Rockingham Community College (NC) game on Sunday at 4:30 pm.