Hutchinson, Kan. – A magical run, for the fourth seeded Tabor College baseball team, came to an end in the opening round of the NAIA national tournament championship game Saturday evening at Hobart-Detter Field in Hutchinson, Kan.

The Bluejays, who had already eliminated second seeded and No. 17 ranked Judson University, as well as No. 1 seeded and No. 7 ranked Oklahoma Baptist University, ran out of gas against the third seeded Hillcats of Rogers State University in the title game.

Tabor which earned its first KCAC title since the 1995-96 season made its first ever appearance to the opening round of the NAIA national baseball tournament and finished off the 2012 season with an overall record of 44-15, and 21-7 in conference play.

Against Oklahoma Baptist University the Bluejays used a four-run seventh inning to rally from three runs down to defeat the Bison by the score of 8-7. The victory eliminated the top seeded Bison from the tournament and propelled the Bluejays into the tournament championship game.

Junior Paul Sciacca capped off the four-run inning by Tabor with a bloop single that scored the game-winning run and gave the Bluejays their first lead of the game at 8-7. Senior Matt Weger who scored on the hit also delivered an RBI single in the inning that scored two runs to tie the game up at seven-all.

Junior Matt Lambert who came on in relief in the seventh for starter junior Anthony Mendoza, pitched two and two thirds innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits while striking out one to earn the victory. Mendoza finished his day allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out four in six and a third innings of work.

Tabor who fell behind by as many as four runs in the game, thanks in large part to a four-run first inning by the Bison, scored once the first, twice in the fourth, and once in the fifth before exploding for four runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Weger, who delivered one of the biggest hits in the game, led Tabor with three RBIs and a run scored as he went 1-2 at the plate. Junior Art Corona also had a big game at the plate going 2-4 with three runs scored, while fellow junior Koby Temple went 2-3 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Matt Cardona also drove in a run and recorded two hits to round out the offenses in the game for the Bluejays.

Tabor out hit OBU 10-9 with both teams committing two costly errors that led to runs in the game.

In the title game a gutsy effort by the Bluejays ended in heartbreak as Tabor fell to Rogers State University by the score of 7-3.

The Bluejays, who were playing their fifth game in three days, turned to little-used starting pitcher sophomore Alex Cole in the biggest game of the year. Cole delivered as he went five and a third innings allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out one to keep the Bluejays within two runs at 4-2.

After scoring its third run of the game in the top of the eighth to pull within one at 4-3, the Bluejays were struck by some misfortune in the bottom half of the inning. Rogers State scored three runs in the inning thanks, in part, to three straight routine fly balls that were lost in the lights and dropped for hits. The three runs in the inning gave the Hillcats a four-run advantage heading into the ninth which Tabor could not recover.

Sciacca recorded three hits in the game and a scored a run to lead Tabor at the plate. Senior Adam McCormick drove in the first run of the game for Tabor on an RBI double as he went 2-4 at the plate, while junior Tyler Kozlowski added a hit and scored a run.

Rogers State outhit Tabor 12-8 with the Hillcats committing three errors to the Bluejays one for the game. The game was the last for 13 seniors on the Bluejays roster including McCormick, Weger, Cardona, Derek McBride, Andrew Perez, Colby Tessendorf, Darius Iacono, Cody Wheeler, Bret Lentz, David Ormiston, William Wood, Nate Percy, and Nicholas Reif. Tabor will look to continue to build on the success of this season as they move into the 2013 season with another KCAC title in its sights.