Richland Buzzes by Eastfield for District Championship

NJCAA DIII SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE

KELTON PHILLIPS INTERVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

MESQUITE, Texas – Kelton Phillips said it was a long time coming, and he doesn't even know the history.

For the first time in 15 years, roughly the time Phillips and his Dallas College Richland baseball teammates were entering kindergarten, the Thunderducks are headed to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series.

"It feels amazing," Phillips said. "We've worked all fall, all spring to get to this point. Finally did it. Finally came through with what we wanted."

Sixth-ranked Richland beat second-ranked Dallas College Eastfield, 17-4, in Sunday's NJCAA Division III South Central District Championship at The Hive to earn the Thunderducks (40-18) an automatic bid to the World Series May 25-30 in Auburn, New York.

The Thunderducks beat the two-time district champ and national runner-up on back-to-back days to punch their ticket to New York.

"I respect that team over there," Phillips said of the Harvester Bees, who await their fate with a 46-13 record. "They're a great team, a great ball club, but we've worked every day, every hour of the day in the fall to get to this point to accomplish our goal. And our goal is the World Series."

Richland is headed there alright. The Thunderducks scored in each of their first six at-bats, racing out to a 7-0 lead through the top of the fourth. Phillips' two-run single to left with two outs in the second spotted the Thunderducks a 3-0 lead. Seth Markham's double to left scored Trace Chamblee and Robby Lopez an inning later to extend it to a five-run advantage.

JJ Bush homered twice for Eastfield, going big fly to center with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to cut Richland's lead to 7-2. He led off the seventh with a solo shot to right.

But that came after the Thunderducks sat on a 15-run lead after scoring six in the fifth and four more in the sixth.

"Our offense, we're not selfish," Phillips said. "When one guy's down, we pick each other back up. That's what it's all about. That's why we were able to accomplish what we did this year. Seventeen runs in the championship game … it's amazing. An amazing feeling."

It was a year the Thunderducks led the nation in runs scored and runs batted in for the majority of the season. They'll enter the national tournament in the top five.

But while the offense has received most of the credit for the makeup of this club, it's been the Thunderducks' pitching staff that has come alive late in the season to offer another underlying story to this storybook season. When they're on, they're tough to beat.

Sunday, they were on.

Richland starter Damian Robinson went three innings, allowing just a hit and two walks, while striking out four before giving way to his bullpen. Vince Ray pitched two-thirds of an inning, walking one without surrendering a hit or run, and put both of his outs in the book via punchouts. Julian Pokorny worked the ninth, giving up just a hit, while facing the minimum three batters to punch the Thunderducks' ticket to New York.

"They showed up all tournament, throwing strikes, doing what they needed to do," Phillips said of his pitching staff. "They threw the ball over the plate, and let our defense make plays. They did a really good job."

Jouseph Gelpi and Phillips had back-to-back two-run doubles in the fifth with two outs that swung the lead from seven runs to 11 on two swings.

"I just wanted to put the bat to the ball today, just stay short and stay simple, and come through for my team when they needed it," said Phillips, who went 2-for-6 with four RBI.

Gelpi was 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two walks. Chamblee went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and a stolen base. Markham was 2-for-5 with two RBI.

Bush, Jorge Herrera and Garret Hendricks each had two hits for the Bees. Bush's two bombs gave him 12 this season.

Richland's first trip to the World Series since 2009 couldn't be sweeter.

"It's gonna be great," Phillips said. "We're going to go get that World Series, and we're going to bring it back to Dallas."