GREENVILLE, Ill. - The Westminster Blue Jays had two cracks at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament title, but couldn't pull off either one.
The Greenville College Panthers - the top seed in the East Division - rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday afternoon to clip Westminster 8-6 for the SLIAC tournament championship.
The Blue Jays, the No. 2 seed in the West Division, had lost to Greenville 11-7 on Saturday night to force Sunday's deciding game for the title. Westminster - which opened tournament play Friday with a 5-0 win over the Panthers - finished its season with a 21-13 record.
Greenville (30-15) earned the SLIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.
The Blue Jays put themselves in good position early in Sunday's matchup when senior first baseman Nick Cessna hit a two-run home run in the top of the second. Senior designated hitter Ryan Gvillo then supplied an RBI double in the fourth and scored on Cessna's single to give Westminster a 4-0 edge.
The Panthers, though, jolted the Blue Jays with a five-run outburst in the fifth to take the lead. Junior second baseman Blake Strebler put Westminster back on top 6-5 when he came through with a two-run double in the sixth.
Greenville, though, used a solo homer and a two-run single in the seventh to go in front to stay.
Cessna finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and scored once as the Blue Jays collected nine hits. Gvillo went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Strebler was 1-for-3 with two RBI and scored once.
Senior Tanner Branneky - the third of four Westminster pitchers - was tagged with the loss, giving up three earned runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings. Branneky (0-2), who started the game in right field, struck out three and walked three.
The Blue Jays tallied a run in the top of the first Saturday night on Strebler's RBI single, but the Panthers countered with two runs in the bottom of the second to go in front.
Westminster regained the lead in the third when Cessna's RBI single and junior shortstop Adam Mundle's RBI fielder's choice made it 3-2. Greenville, though, retaliated with a seven-run outburst in its half of the inning to build a six-run lead.
The Blue Jays scored on a throwing error in the fourth to make it 9-4, but the Panthers added a pair of runs in the fifth. Westminster closed out its scoring on Cessna's three-run homer in the eighth.
Cessna went 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored to help direct the Blue Jays' 13-hit rampage. Strebler was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and scored twice, while Branneky finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Westminster freshman starter Hayden Wallace was knocked around in suffering the loss, surrendering eight runs - seven earned - on seven hits in just two innings. Wallace (1-2) struck out two and issued two walks.
Gvillo, sophomore pitcher Alex Dickneite and freshman pitcher Sam Huesgen were named to the all-tournament team for the Blue Jays.