CAC Baseball Championship Hits Home Stretch
Only three teams remain in contention for the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship following two days of exciting action in a tournament being hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Top-seeded GGC (45-6) is the only undefeated team after scoring a 9-5 victory over No. 2 seed Westcliff University in Thursday's winner's bracket game. That puts the Grizzlies into the championship round and awaiting an opponent that will come from the winner of the loser's bracket finale between Westcliff and No. 4 seed Simpson University (California), taking place on Friday, May 1, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at the GGC's Grizzly Baseball Complex.
The championship round of the double-elimination tournament will begin on Friday at 3 p.m. If necessary, another game between the two finalists would be Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m.
The tournament winner will represent the CAC in the Opening Round of the NAIA national tournament.
Here are recaps of Thursday's games:
No. 3 Florida National University 9, No. 5 Carolina University 8 (10 Innings)
Alejandro De Armas scored on a wild pitch for the winning run in the top of the 10th inning as Florida National won its first CAC tournament victory in program history.
The Conquistadors had come back to tie the game, at 8-8, with two runs in the seventh inning after Carolina had opened a 6-3 lead through the first two innings.
Singles by Daniel Isbell, Chandler Smithart, Andres Hoyos, and Nathan Wesley contributed to the Bruins' productive five-run second inning.
Fausto Sanchez had three hits and scored two runs while Fausto Sanchez and De Armas each had two hits to lead FNU's 13-hit offensive attack.
Danny Gonzalez went 3-for-3 at the plate and Ty Vespe, Isbell and Smithart collected two hits apiece for Carolina, which spread 14 hits across its 10 innings.
No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett College 9, No. 2 Westcliff University 5
The Grizzlies got production throughout its offensive lineup, including three of the four infield positions, and strong starting and relief pitching performances in defeating Westcliff University (California) in the winner's bracket showdown.
For the second straight game, it took a little while for GGC's offense to put runs on the scoreboard, but it was quite effective once the scoring started. The team brought runs across the plate in five innings from the third through eighth frames.
A two-out triple to right field by Payton Fort brought home pinch runner Chris Tillery to give the team a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Another single run was scored in the fourth frame as JJ Garcia hit a single through the middle of the infield.
The offense really got humming in the top of the fifth inning following consecutive singles by Jackson Legg and Vick Gann, two batters being hit by pitches, a wild pitch, and two walks – adding three runs for a 5-0 lead.
Three more runs were scored two innings later thanks to a two-run home run by Grant Pohlman and a single by Fort that brought home Legg. An unearned run in the eighth frame gave the tournament hosts a commanding 9-0 lead.
However, Westcliff (26-21) wouldn't go down without a fight. The Warriors responded by scoring five runs, closing the gap to 9-5, in the bottom of a wild eighth inning. That stretch featured three hits, including a double by Martin Sanchez, along with two walks, two wild pitches and a balk.
But the California team could get no closer.
Garcia and Legg each had three hits to lead GGC's 13-hit offensive attack, while Fort and Pohlman added two hits apiece. Those performances supported a standout starting pitching performance by left-hander Gavin LeBlanc, who didn't allow a hit and had three strikeouts across the opening three innings. He improved his record to 4-2 for the season. He was relieved by senior Caiden Johnson, who had a strong 4.2 innings with five strikeouts on the mound. Finally, junior Lance Bratlien came in to pitch a perfect ninth inning to seal the victory.
No. 4 Simpson University 13, No. 3 Florida National University 5
The Red Hawks scored 12 runs across the final three innings to break a 1-1 tie and move through the loser's bracket of the tournament with a victory in the nightcap. Widening the gap between the teams were six runs that were added to the scoreboard in the top of the eighth inning.
Aden Munoz led Simpson's 13-hit offensive attack with three hits and three RBI. Cesar Ortega, Duke Aloy, JJ Torrente, and Cayden Lee each had two hits in the game. Those efforts supported starting pitcher Bo Valladao, who allowed two runs on three hits and had six strikeouts across seven innings.
Alejandro De Armas contributed to four of FNU's five runs with a home run and a bases-loaded walk.