MASON, Ohio - Seventh-seeded Tiffin baseball rallied for four runs in the top of the 10th to break a four-all tie and upset two-seed Ohio Dominican 8-4 on Wednesday afternoon to advance into the winner's bracket of the 2019 GMAC Baseball Championship.
Cody Orr came up clutch for the Dragons with game-tying, two-out RBI singles in both the fourth and eighth innings to send the game into extras tied at four.
Kyle Vance walked to lead off the top of the 10th and advanced to second on Kole Klasic's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Orr was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second for Brayden Callihan. The senior stepped up under pressure, lacing a single to right-center to drive in Vance and give TU their first lead of the game. Zach Campbell followed with a line drive to the gap in left center to score Orr, and John Heckman made it three-straight run-scoring singles as he drove in Callihan and Campbell to put Tiffin up 8-4.
All eight of TU's runs came with two outs.
Michael Ross started the game for the Dragons, going six strong frames and allowing just two earned runs (three total) while striking out five. Freshman Gunnar Boehm stepped up in a big spot in relief, allowing a single run in 3.1 innings out of the pen and striking out three while earning the win. Fresh off of being named All-Conference, Aaron George came in to get the final two outs in the bottom of the 10th, and struck out both batters he faced to start the Tiffin celebration.
TU proved that recent history against a team does not matter in the slightest when you get to the postseason, as the Dragons came up with the victory after dropping all four games to the Panthers during the regular season series.
Colin BeDell also had a huge two-out hit in the fourth prior to Orr's game-tying single, as the junior fouled off pitch after pitch before roping a two-run double down the left field line to score Vance and Nich Green.
Orr finished the contest 3-4 from the plate with two walks, a run scored, and two RBI. Heckman was the other Dragon to have a multi-hit game, notching two base knocks and two RBI.
Tiffin will now face three-seed Trevecca Nazarene in the quarterfinals tonight at 7:00 p.m. The Trojans defeated six-seed Walsh 4-2 in their first-round matchup, and it will be the first meeting between TU and TNU since the the Dragons joined the Division II ranks.