[Baseball] Baseball Falcons furious rally falls just short in season-ending setback to Ottawa ...

Great Bend, Kan. – Trailing 11-0 in the seventh and then being forced to wait out more than an hour-long weather delay, most teams would be tempted to pack it in and call it a season.  Those teams aren't the Friends University Falcons coached by Adam Neisius.

Conjuring up memories of the famous nine-run comeback win with two outs in the final inning over Mid-America Christian University back in 2020 in Rose Hill, Kan., the Falcons scratched and clawed nearly all the way back from a seemingly impossible 11-0 deficit, scoring 10 unanswered runs before coming up just short in the ninth.

With the tying run at third and two outs in the ninth frame, Niquan Benjamin (SO/US Virgin Islands) hit a scorching liner to third that Jonah Weisner managed to snare to close out the win for the fourth-seeded Ottawa University Braves.

The Braves scored three in the first and then temporarily broke the game wide open with four runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, powered by two-run doubles by both Cole Broughton and Weisner.

Following the weather delay, Pablo Oden (SR/Hollywood, Fla.) singled in the first run for the Falcons in the seventh and then scored on a two-run single by Devon Lujan (SO/Olathe, Kan.).

In the eighth inning, the first career homer from Melwin Perez (SO/San Sebastian, Puerto Rico) jumpstarted a four-run frame that included an RBI double from Buster Hardman (JR/American Fork, Utah) and another RBI single from both Oden and Lujan.

Now down a more manageable 11-7 heading to the ninth, Caleb Coats (SO/Katy, Texas) singled home Oliver Dunn (SO/Endeavour Hills, Australia) before Hardman drove home two more with a single to make it a one-run game.

But Benjamin's liner was caught by Weiser, who fell to his left to make the grab and end the wild game.

"Not how we wanted to end things today but the guys left it all on the field," said Friends head coach Adam Neisius. "We made some mistakes in both games today we couldn't overcome, but man did we battle back. Scoring 10 unanswered and having the winning run on base with a scorched line drive that was snagged by the third baseman was one of those games all of us won't forget for a long time."

The Falcons outhit the Braves 16-12 overall, led by three hits each from Hardman and Benjamin. Hardman and Lujan each drove in three runs, with Coats, Oden, Lujan, Perez and Dakota Harding (JR/Wichita, Kan.) recording two hits apiece.

Lukas Rich went 3-of-4 with three RBIs for Ottawa and Zachary Spradlin was also 3-of-4 with three runs scored.

Matthew Benton (SO/Hobart, Ind.) started for Friends vs. Ottawa and lasted five innings with five runs allowed, two strikeouts and three walks.

Tyler Bryant was brilliant for the Braves prior to the weather delay, pitching 6.2 shutout innings with seven strikeouts and four walks to earn the win.

The matchup with the Braves wasn't the Falcons' only tough loss, as they began the day in the winner's bracket against second-seeded McPherson College.

The Falcons led 5-3 until the Bulldogs plated single runs in the eighth, ninth and 10th for the walk-off win.

Caleb Feuerstake was the catalyst for the Bulldogs in the 10th, drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second and then scoring the winning run when Antonio Fernandez reached on an error.

Solo homers by Oden and Lujan had helped stake the Falcons to a 3-2 lead in the fourth and then an RBI double by Hardman snapped a 3-3 gridlock in the sixth.

With the Falcons now up two runs, a solo homer by Feuerstake made it a one-run game and an RBI groundout by Hayden Foster squared things up in the ninth for the Bulldogs.

Nolan Crumrine (SO/Sedgwick, Kan.) was outstanding for the Falcons against the potent McPherson offensive attack, surrendering just four runs with four strikeouts and one walk through a season-high tying eight innings on the mound.

Hardman also had three hits vs. the Bulldogs, with Benjamin, Harding and Dunn each contributing two hits for Friends.

Fernandez led the Bulldogs with three hits. Drake Miller pitched a scoreless ninth inning to be credited with the win for McPherson.

The sixth-seeded Falcons wrap up the season 24-26 overall and were 17-16 in the KCAC.

"It was an up and down season for us," said Neisius. "Very thankful for the seniors who are moving on, they all had tremendous seasons. We've got a big number of players coming back, hopefully this years' experience will allow us to be better as we move forward."