GREENVILLE, Ill. - The Westminster College Blue Jays displayed their prowess at the plate in getting off to a sizzling start at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason baseball tournament.
Junior right fielder Tanner Branneky had three hits, including a solo home run, drove in two runs and scored three times to power a 16-hit attack as Westminster mashed MacMurray (Illinois) College 12-2 in first-round play Thursday afternoon.
The Blue Jays (26-12) - the No. 2 seed in the West Division - moved on in the double-elimination format and will face Webster University, the West's top seed, at 5 p.m. today. The Gorloks advanced by edging host Greenville College - No. 2 seed in the East - 3-2 on Thursday night.
Greenville and MacMurray, the East's top seed, squared off in an elimination game late Thursday night. Results were not available at press time.
Branneky finished 3-for-4 and produced an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning as Westminster put up three runs to erase a 2-0 deficit. He followed up by leading off the sixth with his home run as the Blue Jays broke out for six runs to take control.
Westminster - which had seven players with at least two hits - added two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth to punctuate the decisive win.
Junior catcher Nolan Bax also went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored for the Blue Jays, while sophomore shortstop Adam Mundle was 2-for-6 with two RBI and scored twice. Senior third baseman Tyler Branneky finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and sophomore center fielder Nick Bohlmann went 2-for-6 with a triple and a run scored.
Junior designated hitter Connor Hager was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and scored twice for Westminster, while sophomore second baseman Blake Strebler finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Junior starter Collin Brinker - a North Callaway graduate - allowed two earned runs on six hits in seven innings to earn the victory for the Blue Jays. Brinker (9-2) struck out two and walked two.
After the game, Brinker was named SLIAC pitcher of the year and Westminster senior left fielder Deion Hughes was chosen the conference's player of the year. The pair were joined on the all-SLIAC first team by Tanner Branneky and Mundle.
Tyler Branneky, Hager and Strebler were all second-team choices and Bohlmann was selected to the third team.
Bax was named to the all-SLIAC sportsmanship team.