Harvester Bees Coast by Northern Essex, Advance to Championship Round

GREENEVILLE, Tennessee – Dallas College Eastfield rolled to a 12-1 five-inning win over Northern Essex Community College Wednesday in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series elimination semifinals.

The Harvester Bees (48-12) will meet Rowan College South Jersey-Gloucester (52-5) in the championship round 2 p.m. CT Thursday. The Bees will force an if-necessary game with a win. Eastfield is returning to the championship round for the second straight year.

Eastfield's Manny Moore went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI, and Gus Witt was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI as the Harvester Bees put up double-digit runs for the fourth time at the World Series. It was the second run-rule victory in the national tournament for the Bees.

Harvester Bees starter Ian Roberts pitched all five innings, allowing four hits, a run and a walk, while fanning five to improve to 5-0.

Eastfield scored three runs in the first inning. Cade Conway scored on a wild pitch. Jayden Morgan's sacrifice fly made it 2-0. River Curs' RBI single to right gave the Bees a three-run lead.

In the third, Kyson Snelson singled to right to drive in a run. Conway's sacrifice fly scored Curs. Griffin Tarter scored on a wild pitch. Gus Witt's double to left-center made it 7-0.

Morgan scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to push the lead to 8-0. Snelson and Conway both drew bases-loaded walks to make it 10-0. Moore belted an RBI double to left, and Hunter O'Shea's sacrifice fly in the fifth moved Eastfield ahead, 12-0.

Northern Essex (39-8) scored in the bottom of the fifth on Jomar Moreta's RBI triple to left-center.

Curs was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks. Tarter was 1-for-2 with two walks. Snelson was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk.

Eastfield drew 14 walks, and stole nine bases, including two each by Conway and Snelson.