CLEBURNE, Texas -- Fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran advanced to the title game for the fifth time in six years, defeating second-seeded Centenary, 5-2, in winner's bracket action on Saturday at the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament at La Moderna Field. Official Website l Tournament Stats l Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview 

The Bulldogs are the first four-seed to win their first two games at the confernece tournament since the league adopted the current four-team format in 2014.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams were able to get runners on base but both struggled to push them across. Each team stranded 14 base runners.
• After leaving the bases loaded in the top of the third, Texas Lutheran finally broke through with two runs in the fourth with Aric Vasquez providing the big blow - a double that scored both Mason Goudeau and Tyler Post.
• The Bulldogs plated another run in the sixth as a single by Hayden Kesselrin scoring Vasquez.
• Centenary dented the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the seventh. Three hits and error pushed across Walker Wicklund and Alex Miller to make it a one-run game.
• After surviving a scare in the bottom of the eighth when a interference call kept Centenary off the board, TLU iced the game on a two-run home run by Tyler Post, his tournament-record sixth career home run - which provided the final 5-2 margin.

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Hayden Kesselring: 4-5, 1 RBI, 1 SB
• Tyler Post: 2-5, 2 runs, 1 HR, 2 RBIs
• Aric Vasquez: 3-4, 2 RBIs
• Carson Draehn: 3-5, 1 run
• Mason Goudeau: 2-5, 1 run, 1 2B
• JT Taylor (WP): 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 4 BB
• Diego Vinton (S): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER

CENTENARY COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Walker Wicklund: 2-4, 1 run
• Carson Livesay: 2-5, 1 2B
• Austyn Benoit: 2-3, 1 SB
• Blaine Hardy (LP): 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 R, 7 K, 2 BB

NOTABLES

• Tyler Post's home run was the sixth of his career in SCAC tournament play, making him the league's all-time leader in that category. He had previously been tied with Jeff Gabbert of Southwestern, MJ Metz of Trinity and Garner Wetzel of Millsaps.
• After yesterday's one RBI and his two today, Post has 21 for his career in tournament play, good for third all-time.
• Texas Lutheran is in the championship round for the fifth time in the last six tournaments and sixth all-time. Its the fourth time the Bulldogs have won their first two games to get to the championship round undefeated. TLU went on to earn the tournament title twice in those three previous chances.
• Texas Lutheran evened its all-time SCAC tournament mark 15-15, while Centenary slipped to 15-19. Texas Lutheran is 5-1 all-time against Centenary in tournament play.

UP NEXT

Texas Lutheran (25-15) advances to the championship round and will play for the SCAC title tomorrow with first pitch set for Noon CT. As the only undefeated team remaining in the tournament, the Bulldogs will have two chances to win the league crown on Sunday. Centenary (20-18) will face the winner of today's 3:30 p.m. CT game against Southwestern and Trinity at 7 p.m. CT this evening.