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Grand Junction, CO --The Eastern Oklahoma State College Mountaineers have advanced to the second round of the National Junior College World Series by defeating the Iowa Western CC Reivers 9-6 Sunday night before a crowd of 9,120 at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction, CO. The Mountaineers will take to Sam Suplizio Field Tuesday night at 7:30 against Central Alabama Community College.

Middle Georgia College, GA, Cowley County Comm. College, KS, Texarkana College, TX, Miami-Dade Comm. College, FL, Central Alabama, AL, North Central Texas College, TX and Spartanburg Methodist College, SC joined Iowa Western and Eastern in the double elimination tournament for the National Championship.

Two teams were eliminated from the ten team field before Eastern played it's first game. Texarkana and Spartanburg suffered their second defeat of the tournament on Sunday afternoon and three other teams will have been sent home before the Mountaineers second game.

Eastern led 9-6 entering the bottom of the ninth before making things interesting. Layle DeVilbiss, Owasso sophomore, faced one batter in the ninth before giving way to Canadian freshman Dan Weolders from the bullpen. The winning run came to the plate but Weolders never flinched. He struck out Kyle Johnson looking on a 2-2 curve ball that froze the Reiver left fielder in his tracks.

Eastern never had the game safely in hand but were never out of control either. DeVilbiss scattered 11 hits and three earned runs over eight innings, walking one and striking out four on 132 pitches. Eastern picked up 20 hits and stranded 15 base runners during the game. The Mountaineers turned three double plays in the infield.

Weolders struck out two and gave up one hit while throwing 27 pitches to pick up the save. Pocola sophomore Brad Thomas is scheduled to start Tuesday nights game.

Tommy Pratt, Owasso, Travis Calton, McCloud and Ryan Brnardic, Windsor, Canada, led the offense with three hits apiece. Eric Keller, Tulsa, Chris Scrivner, Kiowa, Chris Eng, Langley, B.C. and Eric Miller, Owasso, added two hits each. Calton, Eng and Brnardic each had a double with Brnardic notching a triple as well.   

Brnardic scored in the second inning, driving in Calton and scoring on a throwing error by the shortstop on his triple to give Eastern the early lead 2-0. Iowa Western roared back in the bottom of the second plating two runs on three hits and one error. A failed pick off attempt by DeVilbiss advanced the runner to second, who moved to third on a single and scored on an infield hit. DeVilbiss drew a ground ball to end the inning.

Eastern fell behind 4-2 after five innings and regained control by  scoring four runs in the top of the sixth and one in the seventh. The Reivers scored two in their half of the seventh to cut Eastern's lead to 7-6, setting the scene for the exciting ninth inning.

Pratt reached on a bunt to lead off the inning. Michael Hill, Dallas, TX, pinch hit for Matt Lamb from Owasso. Hill singled to right advancing Pratt to third. Hill moved to second on a passed ball. Keller sacrificed Pratt home and Brnardic doubled down the rightfield line to score Hill.