David’s Career-Night Energizes 23-7 Win Over No. 3 Georgia Gwinnett
LEWISTON, Idaho – The No. 19 Taylor (42-15) baseball team returned to Harris Field for day two of the 2023 NAIA Baseball World Series on Saturday, when the Trojans shocked the World Series fanbase with a 23-7 win over second-seeded No. 3 Georgia Gwinnett (50-7).
Georgia Gwinnett, who is making its fifth-straight appearance in the world series, swept Taylor in a highly competitive three-game series back in February. Saturday’s contest appeared to be unfolding in an equally competitive manner before the Trojans outscored the Grizzlies 21-1 from the fifth inning on.
Taylor plastered six or more runs on the board in each of the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings, all the while an astounding 19 of Taylor’s 23 runs came with two outs.
A six-run fifth inning was especially pivotal for Taylor as it came in the wake of a four-run Grizzly third in which Georgia Gwinnett worked a 6-2 lead. Nonetheless, the Grizzlies made it an 8-7 game by the end of the fifth frame with their third home run of the game.
Taylor exploded for eight more runs in the seventh, however, crafting a 10-run lead after the Trojans plated a solo run in the sixth. Brayden Manning sparked the eight-run rally with his third double of the game, tying an NAIA World Series record, before eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly struck by Sam Gladd, who had already hit his second home run in as many games two innings earlier.
Brennan Frickel then rekindled the Trojan offense with his second pinch-hit base knock of the world series, after which Camden Knepp, Kaleb Kolpien, and Kade Vander Molen each drew walks.
With the bases loaded, Mason David then promptly cleared them with a three-run double to right center, at that point boosting his RBI total to five on the night. Catcher, Ben Kalbaugh, then plated his third and fourth RBI with a two-out, two-run double of his own to cap Taylor’s eight-run inning.
Meanwhile, quietly unfolding in the background of Taylor’s abundant run production against Georgia Gwinnett was Kaleb Kolpien achieving a historic feat. Kolpien entered action on Saturday with 93 hits in the 2023 season, two shy from breaking Nathan Targgart’s record of 94 hits in 2017.
After Kolpien led the third inning off with a single to center, matching the single-season record, he promptly established a new record with his second hit of the night in the sixth inning.
Through his first two seasons in a Trojan uniform, Kolpien has tallied 179 hits in 116 games. Even more, Kolpien was crowned the Crossroads League batting champion in 2023 after finishing as the runner-up in his 2022 freshman season.
Nonetheless, Kolpien had a relatively quiet night against the Grizzlies on Saturday night, as David, Kalbaugh, and Gladd combined for 16 of Taylor’s 20 RBI.
David drove in an incredible seven runs himself, establishing a new career-best while energizing a remarkable 23-run offensive outburst against one of the nation’s premier pitching staffs.
Kalbaugh added five RBI of his own while Gladd plated four more. Meanwhile, Manning led the Trojans with five hits, Knepp scored four runs, and Gabel Pentecost earned his second save in as many games.
It was a night of countless memorable individual performances, though Saturday evening in Lewiston, Idaho, was ultimately an unforgettable moment for the collective Taylor baseball program, a program with a rich tradition of winning and personal formation.
Saturday evening was surely a moment for both.
No. 19 Taylor (42-15) will cherish an off-day on Sunday before returning to the diamond for a winners’ bracket matchup with the three-seed, No. 6 Westmont (44-8), Monday evening, May 29, at 6:05 pm ET.