KINGSPORT, Tenn. - One can almost always count on an exciting game when Union College and Tennessee Wesleyan College tangle on the diamond, and Friday's contest did not disappoint as top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan pulled out an 8-5 decision in the winners' bracket finale of the 2008 Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament.

The four-day event is being held at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn.

With the victory, Tennessee Weselayan (40-15 overall) advances to the championship game, set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Union will face the winner of the King (Tenn.) College-UVa-Wise game Friday at 6:30 p.m. for the right to take on Tennessee Wesleyan for the title.

Tied at 5-5, Union appeared it was going to seize control of the game when it loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth. However, Lioney Henriquez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) grounded the ball to Vladimir Frias at short, who throw home for an out and catcher Dean McDermond then threw to first to complete the double play and end the threat.

Pumped by getting out of the jam, Tennessee Wesleyan had a runner on second with one out when Gary Tucker singled to left, scoring Kevin Carby for the go-ahead run. Another Union error allowed Tennessee Wesleyan to push across another run for a 7-5 advantage.

Tyler Moyneur was then hit by a pitch to force in a run, making it 8-5.

Errors plagued Union (39-13 overall) as five errors resulted in six unearned runs for Tennessee Wesleyan. Tennessee Wesleyan managed to line one more hit than Union with a 10-9 edge in that category.

In addition, both teams' pitchers struggled with control as there was seven combined walks - one intentional, and nine hit batters.

Union drew first blood as it loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second. Kenny Kysar (Corbin, Ky.) hit a slow roller to short for an infield hit, allowing Matt Brady (Louisville, Ky.) to give Union a 1-0 lead.

Tennessee Wesleyan was able to produce two runs with two outs thanks to a couple of Union errors. With a runner on first, pitcher Marcus White (Lubbock, Texas) tried to pick off Frias, but the throw missed the mark and Frias advanced all the way to third. Then, Tucker hit a slow dribbler between the mound and first. White struggled to find the handle, allowing Frias to score and Tucker to reach safely. Eddie Van Es followed with a triple down the right-field line, putting Tennessee Wesleyan up 2-1.

In the fourth, Union reclaimed a one-run lead as David Fairbanks (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Kysar each lined run-scoring singles, making it a 3-2 contest.

However, errors stung Union in the fifth as two more miscues resulted to two unearned runs for Tennessee Wesleyan. Frias had a RBI single during the rally, while Van Es collected his second RBI of the game when he reached on an error as Tennessee Wesleyan took a 4-3 advantage.

Union got some help in the bottom of the fifth as a Frias error allowed Joe Grinstead (Bowling Green, Ky.) to score from third, evening the score at 4-4.

The top of the sixth provided some excitement without any runs being scored. With a runner of first, McDermond belted double to the left-center field wall. It appeared Adam Reeves was going to score easily from first, but he tripped and fell after rounding third. Scrambling to get back to third, Reeves was tagged out as Grinstead quickly cut off the throw and fired it to Brady for the out. Two batters later, Tennessee Wesleyan had runners on first and second when Matt Stanley lined a sharp ground to third. Brady quickly stepped on third for the force out and fired to first for the out, narrowly beating Stanley.

Henriquez put Union up 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth as he launched a solo home run over the left-field wall. The four-bagger was the fifth for Henriquez this season. The homer could've caused more damage, but Kysar was picked off at second after doubling down the right-field line.

With runners on second and third and one out, Van Es hit a sac fly to score Kevin Carby. But on the play, Kysar's throw skipped past catcher Justin Hart (Lake Mary, Fla.) and went to the backstop. Frias then tried to score, but White got the ball to Hart in time to tag a sliding Frias out at the plate, leaving the score at 5-5.

Kysar paced Union offensively in going 3-of-4 with two RBIs, while Brady went 2-for-3 with two run scored. Fairbanks also went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI.

White suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, two earned, on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

For Tennessee Wesleyan, Van Es drove in three runs, while Frias was 2-of-3 with a RBI and a run scored.

Jon Swartout tossed the final 1 2/3 innings to notch the win, allowing no runs on no hits and no walks with one strikeout.

Bulldog Notes

• Matt Brady stretched his hit streak to 11 games, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak on the team this season.
• The five errors by Union are a season high for the team.
• Union also tied a season high for double plays as it turned three against Tennessee Wesleyan.