Nelson Baseball Locks Up Spot in World Series
Dominated Lions in Double-Header to Clinch West Division Title
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
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0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | X | 11 | 13 | 1 |
The Nelson Warriors' baseball team (24-23) delivered a dominant doubleheader sweep over the Justice Lions at home at Cortez High School to end the regular season, winning Game 1 by a score of 11-2 and Game 2 by a score of 12-2. With the sweep, the Warriors finished the year above .500, winning of 19 of their last 24 games, officially clinching the NCCAA West Division Championship for the first time in program-history and earning a berth to the 2026 NCCAA Baseball World Series in Kansas City, MO, beginning May 16 — another program first.
Game 1: Nelson 11, Justice 2
Justice took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Warriors responded in the bottom of the second when Aaron Bazan crushed a three-run home run, his 7th of the season, to give the Nelson men a 3-1 lead they would never relinquish. After Justice added a run in the fifth, Nelson exploded for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Brandon Ramirez, Shae Doree, and Josue Franco Jr.
The Warriors continued to pile it on with an RBI single from Ethan Gustafson in the sixth and three more runs in the seventh (an RBI single from Gerardo Paco, a wild pitch that scored Bazan, and an RBI walk to Jimmy Holloway). Nathan Simmons (8-2) was dominant on the mound, throwing a season-high 8.1 strong innings and allowing just 2 runs.
Game 2: Nelson 12, Justice 2 (7 innings)
The Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the third after Ethan Gustafson and Jimmy Holloway each delivered RBI singles before Adrian Nunez capped the inning with a three-run homer — his 8th smash of the season.
After Justice hit a solo home run in the fourth, Nelson answered with five more runs in the bottom of the inning. Gerardo Paco hit an RBI double, Gustafson added a two-run single, Holloway singled in another run, and Nunez added an RBI sacrifice fly. Sam Hess launched a solo home run, his 8th, in the fifth, and Aaron Bazan added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Eli Arsenault was outstanding, throwing a complete seven-inning game and allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs while striking out 5 to earn the victory.
This is a historic moment for the program and a testament to the growth and fight this team has shown all season.
Congratulations to the Warriors on clinching the West Division title and earning their first-ever trip to the national championship tournament! Nelson American Indian University is fast becoming the school of champions! On to Kansas City.