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Columbia International University Athletics

Willis vs COFO
4
Concordia U Ann Arbo CUAA 38-23
6
Winner Columbia Intl CIU 35-26
Concordia U Ann Arbo CUAA
38-23
4
Final
6
Columbia Intl CIU
35-26
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Concordia U Ann Arbo CUAA 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 9 2
Columbia Intl CIU 1 5 0 0 0 0 X 6 5 0

W: Garris, Hunter (2-1) L: Tany, J (4-6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | gfrierson

CIU heading to NCCAA World Series semifinals as Willis' grand slam headlines signature win

CENTRAL, S.C. - CIU baseball guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2021 NCCAA World Series semifinals as the Rams defeated Concordia (Mich.) 6-4 on Saturday to stay a perfect 3-0 in NCCAA World Series pool play. Concordia (38-23) entered the contest as the No. 2 overall seed and as the reigning NCCAA World Series Champions as the Cardinals took home the title in 2019. CIU moves to 35-26 in their first full season of competition with the win, as the Rams still have yet to lose to an NCCAA opponent this season. 

How it happened: CIU 6 CU 4: Carter Willis scored the Rams' first run of the game after getting to third from first on a stolen base followed by an error. A sac fly from Joshua Hernandez brought Willis home as CIU nabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Willis then recorded the Ram's most memorable moment of the tournament so far as he hit a homer in the 2nd inning with the bases loaded to give the Ram's their second-ever grand slam and a 5-0 lead. Later in the inning, Grant Bodison scored off a Cardinal error, handing the Rams a 6-0 advantage. Concordia continued to fight despite the deficit as the Michigan squad tallied four runs in the top of the 4th inning. With CIU leading 6-4 heading into the 6th, Hunter Garris came up big on the mound for CIU as he held the Cardinals scorless in the final three innings. Garris's performance included picking off a runner at first base in the 6th inning and a strikeout in the 7th inning. 

Game Notes:

  • Carter Willis' grand slam is the first since Robert Bell achieved the feat back on March 13th against Point (Ga.)
  • Willis finished the game 2 of 3 at the plate with four RBI's.
  • Kody Trujillo picked up a double on two hits for CIU. 
  • Hunter Garris recorded the win, notching two strikeouts and shutting out the Cardinals in the game's final three innings. 
  • CIU and Southwestern Christian (Oka.) are the only two teams still undefeated at the NCCAA World Series. 
What Coach Jonathan Johnson is saying:
"Great win versus a very tough team tonight. We are going to enjoy the Sabbath tomorrow and then get focused on winning a championship. We will be facing a very tough team Monday night for the semifinals. I can't wait to see how my boys respond."

Up Next: CIU will play Kansas Christian in the final game of pool play on Monday at 1 PM. The contest will have no bearing on CIU's place in the semifinals as the Rams will play the winner of Carolina (N.C.) and Judson (Ill.) at 8 PM on Monday with a trip to the national championship on the line. 

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