Fuller's walk-off clinches sixth national title for LSUE
Slate Fuller's two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Bengals the 2018 title
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CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | PHOTOS | HIGHLIGHTS | AWARDS
Enid, OK – Slate Fuller delivered a two-run walk-off home run to cement his name in NJCAA history as LSU Eunice (LA) captured the 2018 NJCAA DII Baseball World Series championship with a 5-3 victory over Parkland (IL). The title is the sixth in program history for the Bengals.
All square at three in the bottom of the ninth, Fuller stepped to the plate with a man on first and connected on an 0-2 pitch over the left centerfield wall to propel the Bengals to the national title. The home run was Fuller's third of the tournament.
LSU Eunice put two on the board in the second inning for an early lead, but Parkland clawed its way back and eventually took a 3-2 lead through five innings. The Bengals tied things up with a tally in the eighth before Fuller delivered the dramatic home run for the victory.
- The championship is the sixth for head coach Jeff Willis and his Bengal program, all coming since 2006 and the team's first since 2015.
- Willis was named the Coach of the Year following the tournament for the sixth time in his tenure.
- Koi Westbrook was named the Most Valuable Player as well as the Most Valuable Defensive Player after batting .438 with 10 RBI and just one error in 20 chances at shortstop.
- Zach Hester struck out nine batters in eight innings in the championship contest to earn Most Valuable Pitcher honors. The sophomore allowed just two earned runs in 16.0 total innings in the tournament.
- The Bengals powered through the tournament without a loss, completing its national title run with an overall record of 59-6 in 2018.
- LSU Eunice's potent offense outscored its opponents 43-15 in the team's five tournament contests to go along with eight home runs.
- Parkland concluded the 2018 season with a 51-16-1 overall record to record a runner-up finish one year after finishing third in the 2017 World Series.
- The Cobras placed a pair on the All-Tournament team in Brendan Joyce and Trystin Raikes.
- Scottsdale (AZ) finished fourth in the tournament with a remarkable run and earned two All-Tournament selections in Michael Herrera and Ryan Phillips.
- Braxton Douthit and Clayton Peterson received All-Tournament honors for third place Northern Oklahoma Enid.
A walk-off for the title! @LSUEBengalsBSB earns its sixth national championship after Slate Fuller's two-run home run!#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/RSN4nq9VrS
— NJCAA TV (@NJCAATV) June 2, 2018
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