GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado, May 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake Community College gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to fall 9-8 to Wabash Valley College in the Bruins’ NJCAA JUCO World Series debut Saturday night.
The Bruins (31-19) were in control much of the game and didn’t trail until the final frame, when the third-seeded Warriors (54-11) from Mount Carmel, Illinois, scored two runs on three hits for the walk-off win.
Jaxon Weatherly went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, including a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Bruins a 7-4 lead.
After Wabash Valley answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth, former Lone Peak High School star Ethan Lamb added an RBI single in the seventh inning put Salt Lake ahead 8-6.
The Warriors scored three runs on six hits in the final two innings to steal the victory.
Jordan Pace, a sophomore from Pleasant Grove, pitched seven innings for SLCC, allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out five.
Salt Lake, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, next faces Johnson County Community College from Overland Park, Kansas, in an elimination game at 7 p.m. Sunday. The second-seeded Cavaliers (55-9) lost 6-5 to No. 9 seed Shelton State Community College from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday.
This is the first ever NCAA JUCO World Series appearance for the Bruins, who won the West District Championship on May 20.
