GRANVILLE, Ohio - Playing in their first NCAA Division-III Tournament game in seven years on Friday, the Beloit College baseball team took ninth-ranked and host school Denison University to the brink of defeat, before ultimately falling by a score of 8-7. Beloit took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, which erased a five-run deficit, but The Big Red answered with the tying run in the bottom of that inning, before scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth and holding on for dear life for the win, sending Beloit to Saturday's elimination game in the double-elimination tournament.

The Midwest Conference champion Buccaneers took the game's first lead with a run in the top of the first inning when Garrison Ferone scored all the way from first base on a two-out throwing error by Denison's shortstop. The Big Red then tied the score in the bottom of that inning on an RBI single to right field.

Denison (35-8) would take their first lead of the game in the third on a two-run triple to right center, before adding another run on a sac bunt one batter later. The Big Red added to their lead in the fifth on a two-run homer to deep left center, giving them a 6-1 lead halfway through the game.

As has been the case all season long however, there are no quit in these Buccaneers, who got right back into the game the following inning by scoring four runs, all of which came with two outs. Elijah Love got the rally started with a pinch hit RBI single to right, before Jack Alport drove in a run with a single back to the pitcher. MWC Player of the Year Matt O'Leary then plated two runs with a single to right, cutting Denison's once robust lead to a single run. After holding Denison scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Beloit took their first lead since the opening inning when Miles Souza smashed a two-run homer over the left field wall in the top of the seventh to give the Bucs a 7-6 advantage.

That lead would be short-lived, as Denison connected on a solo home run with two out in the bottom of the seventh. The Big Red then scored the go-ahead run in the eighth, again coming with two outs, on an RBI single to second off the glove of O'Leary. The Buccaneers would fight to the final out, with two batters reaching safely with two outs in the ninth, including Evan Zenger, who fouled off pitch after pitch in a 12-pitch at-bat with two outs that ended with him singling through the left side in what is arguably the greatest at-bat in program history. The next batter would fly out to center however, leaving both runners stranded to end the game.

Beloit (31-13) finished with 14 hits, which was two more than Denison. Brett Kiger and Zenger led the way with three hits apiece, while Ferone and Souza each collected two hits. Denison saw five players finish with two hits apiece.

The Buccaneers will now play Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time against Spalding University in an elimination game with the loser going home and the winner advancing to another elimination game at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Those games will again be played at Big Red Field in Granville, Ohio.