JACKSON, Miss. - The Vikings faced the Centre Colonels in a winner-go-home scenario on Friday evening, where they fell short in a nail-biting thriller due to a walk-off grand slam.
Andrew Pendleton was outstanding in the batter's box with 3 total hits including a home run that stunned the Centre pitcher.
On the mound for the majority of the game, Jackson Halla controlled the pace of the Centre bats, accumulating 4 strikeouts and just 3 hits through 7 innings of work.
Both teams were unable to generate offense in the opening frames of the game. After the Vikings retreated in order to begin the game, starting pitcher Jackson Halla surrendered two base runners just before working a full count and striking out a Colonel battle to send the game into the second inning scoreless.
Things took a turn in Berry's favor in the second at-bat of the top of the second inning when Andrew Pendleton eyed down a pitch and lit dynamite to it with a home run that scorched the yard to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
Halla held strong at the bottom of the second as well, only giving up one hit and denying the Colonels any runs.
The next two innings were ruled by the men on the mound with their defenses making sound plays behind them to preserve the 1-0 Berry lead.
The defensive battle continued to trudge along all the way to the ninth, with neither team giving an inch.
A series of close calls for the Vikings added up to a disastrous bottom ninth inning.
Still clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Vikings faced a bases-loaded situation and Mason Schoonover on the mound, the pressure at Twenty Field was palpable. A full count payoff pitch from Schoonover just missed the mark, scoring a Colonel to tie the game and load the bases once again. With Centre's best hitter up to bat, he scored a walk-off home run to win the game and outlast the Vikings by a final score of 5-1 to bring the Vikings' season to a close.
Sophomore Pitcher Mason Snyder earned a spot on the SAA All-Tournament Team after guiding the team to victory against Hendrix and pitching an outstanding game against Millsaps, where he tallied 5 strikeouts and only allowed one earned run in his start.
