MAGICAL SEASON ENDS FOR TAYLOR BASEBALL

The Taylor University baseball team's historic run to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round came to a close on Thursday afternoon with a 17-6 loss to Saint Xavier University. Taylor finished the season with a program-best 38-19 record, including a Mid-Central College Conference tournament championship and the school's first national tournament appearance since 1969.

Playing their fourth game in three days, weary pitching inspired an offensively dominated game. The two teams combined for 33 hits and saw 47 base runners in the game. Seven pitchers made an appearance in the contest with six different Taylor pitchers gracing the mound.

For the fourth consecutive game the Trojans fell into an early hole after allowing first-inning runs. Taylor gave up nine runs in the opening frame during the national tournament action, including four against Saint Xavier. The Cougars took advantage of four hits and a defensive error to take the 4-0 lead.

Taylor appeared charged to respond in the top of the second when they put four consecutive batters on base and scored one run with only one out, but a St. Xavier double play ended the inning leaving two Trojan runners stranded.

The bottom of the second nearly mirrored the top as the Cougars connected on three consecutive base hits with one out. However, Taylor's defense matched Saint Xavier's inning-ending double play to escape without allowing a run.

The Trojans made their biggest threat of the game in the top of the third when freshman Ryne Otis drove in two runs with a base-clearing triple. Left fielder Cassidy Emery then capitalized on the momentum with a sacrifice fly scoring Otis and knotting the score 4-4.

Whatever light showed on Taylor's hopes was quickly extinguished when a grand slam by St. Xavier's Zach Clements highlighted a six-run third inning to extend the lead, 10-4. It was a momentum swing the Trojans could not overcome. They crossed the plate just two more times in the game notching a run in the fourth and ninth innings. The Cougars went on to score three more runs each in the fifth and sixth innings.

Taylor entered the Rome, Ga. Opening Round bracket as the fifth seed of the five-team double elimination tournament. They opened play on Tuesday afternoon with a win over The Master's College (Calif.) before falling to No. 4 Berry College later that evening. A second win over The Master's in the consolation bracket on Wednesday evening set up the meeting with No. 24 St. Xavier.