HIGH POINT, N.C. - Birmingham-Southern College fell one win shy of a return trip to the NCAA Division III Baseball World Series, losing 9-6 in 12 innings to No. 1 seed Salisbury on Sunday, May 30 at the High Point Regional. The Panthers (28-16) went 3-2 in the regional to finish as one of 16 teams.

BSC opened the day Sunday with an 11-2 win over Lynchburg to advance to the region championship game.

Alfredo Granier (Atlanta, Ga./Holy Innocents' Episcopal) led the Panthers with two hits in each game, while Drew Love (Birmingham, Ala./Gardendale HS) had three hits on the day. 

The Panthers took a 2-1 lead in the first inning, sparked by a Noah Best (Carrollton, Ga./Villa Rica HS) triple to plate Granier and an RBI ground out by Andrew Dutton (Southside, Ala./Westbrook Christian) to score Best. Will Evans (Peachtree City, Ga./Starrs Mill HS) drove in a run in the third and Dutton knocked in two more with a single to center in the fourth inning. Through four, it was 5-1 BSC. Salisbury scored one in the fifth and three in the sixth, including a game-tying two-run home run. Jacob Ference put the Seagulls in front, 6-5, through seven innings. A Jack Flemming (Suwanee, Ga./Lambert HS) sac fly in the eighth tied the game in the eighth to help force extra innings. 

A fielder's choice, error and balk led to three runs for the Seagulls in the top of the 12th. Robbie Lively (Helena, Ala./Helena HS) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, off three hits and a walk in the 11th and 12 innings. Andy Hamond (Oxford, Ala./Oxford HS) pitched seven innings in the game, while Luke Drumond (Temple Terrace, Fla./King HS) pitched three. 

Earlier in the day, BSC jumped on top of Lynchburg 9-0 through three innings. Both teams scored two runs apiece in the eighth. 

A two-run single by Best and two-run double by Camden McNearney (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison HS) produced the Panthers' four-run first inning. Love added a two-run double in the second, while Steadman hit a three-run home run in the third and had a sac fly in the eighth. The next to last run of the game scored on a wild pitch.

Hanan Mauldin (Florence, Ala./Florence HS) (5-2) recorded the win, allowing two runs off four hits and three walks through eight innings. He struck out five. Hansen McCown (Indian Springs, Ala./Oak Mountain HS) pitched a hit-less, scoreless inning in relief. 

Birmingham-Southern knocked off the No. 2 seed Washington & Jefferson twice in the tournament and split with No. 4 seed Lynchburg before falling to the No. 1 seed Salisbury in the region final. The Panthers had a more than 30-day gap from play between winning the Southern Athletic Association championship on April 24 and opening NCAA play May 27.