After resoundingly defeating Blue Mountain University 20-7 in their first game of the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament, Talledega needed extra innings to take down No. 1 LSU Shreveport 6-5 to advance to the championship portion of the bracket.
Aided by an LSU Shreveport error, the Tornadoes took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. A home run off the bat of Miguel Oropeza extended the Talladega lead to 3-0 heading in the bottom of the third inning.
Austin Gomm’s shot over the right field fence brought the Pilots within a single run, 3-2, after three innings.
A walk, an error, and a Ryan Davenport single in the bottom of the fifth loaded the bases for the Pilots with no outs. Talladega managed to escape the inning, but not before the tying run was forced home via a walk.
Nomar Garcia’s groundout in the top of the seventh put the Tornadoes back in front 4-3. However, that lead would be short-lived as the Pilots responded, taking a 5-4 lead thanks to RBI singles from Jose Aquino and Christian Hobbs as part of a 4-hit, 2-run inning.
Oropeza led off the ninth by going yard for the second time in the afternoon to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Shreveport got the winning run on third base with two outs; however, the Pilots could not plate it, sending the game to extra innings.
Armando Jackson led off the 10th inning, putting Talladega up 6-5, which sealed the game for the Tornadoes.
Talladega will face Kansas Wesleyan in the next round.
