THE RUNDOWN
DBU claimed their fourth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title on Sunday afternoon, defeating Indiana State in an 11-inning thriller, 12-8. The Patriots have now claimed the MVC Tournament title in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021. With the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Patriots will extend their historic streak of reaching the postseason to seven consecutive years.

In what was a wild championship game, as Jace Grady opened the scoring with a solo shot over the wall in right in the first inning. For Grady, it was his second consecutive first inning home run and his third long ball of the tournament. The Pats' lead was short lived, however, and the Sycamores would own the next several frames. Indiana State scored two in the first, two in the second, and one in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead over DBU.

But on a historic afternoon in Carbondale, the Patriots would not be concerned with the deficit. In the top of the fifth, Blayne Jones walloped a first pitch fastball over the left field wall for a two-run shot. In the sixth, Jace Grady blasted his second home run of the day on an 0-1 pitch. Christian Boulware would drive in a sacrifice fly later in the inning to knot the game up at 5-5.

Both teams would trade runs over the next two frames as Indiana State scored in the seventh inning on an infield chopper. DBU responded with an eighth inning RBI from Austin Bell.

While no scoring took place in the ninth, it will forever be remembered as the inning that Cole Moore made the catch of the year. Two days prior, Moore dove over the fence on the first base line in a herculean attempt to catch a foul ball. While he didn't make the catch, his dive won the hearts and minds of college baseball fans across the country. On Sunday, he didn't mis as Cole Moore claimed an out leaping over the ballpark's perimeter in breathtaking fashion.

In the tenth inning, the Trees and Patriots once again swapped runs. Cole Moore lifted a sacrifice fly into deep right field and Jordan Schaffer collected his fifth hit of the day for the Sycamores to send the game to the 11th.

In the final frame, DBU broke it open and left no doubt that they were champions of The Valley. River Town collected an RBI on a fielder's choice that saw two Patriots score as the second run came around on a throwing error. Jace Grady continued to mash at the plate, driving in a run with a double. Nico Burgarello followed by driving in two extra insurance runs with his own RBI single. The Sycamores would get one run in their last chance at the plate, but Cole Reeves induced three pop flies and the Patiot dog pile ensued in Carbondale on the final out caught by George Specht in left field.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots are one of only nine teams with active postseason streaks of at least seven consecutive years or more.
- With a monumental performance over the weekend, both at the plate and in the field, Jace Grady was named MVC Tournament MVP.
-The Patriots went 5-1 against Indiana State in 2021.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
7 – In a game that was a team effort in the truest sense of the word, DBU turned to seven different pitchers in the championship game.
12 – Dominic Hamel picked up the win after going 1/3rd of an inning out of the bullpen. He is now tied with Jeff Gilmore for most wins in a season during DBU's DI era.
14 – The Patriots scored their 12 runs on 14 hits in an incredible 45 plate appearances.

DAN HEEFNER ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP
"Crazy game. Winners find a way and we did that today. This was awesome and it was great for our team to experience this. They really made some memories this week and it prepares us for a regional with all the pressure at-bats and pitches. I'm so proud of them. Everyone contributed this weekend."

Jace Grady - MVP, Christian Boulware, Jackson Glenn, Blayne Jones, River Town, and Luke Eldred were all named to the MVC All-Tournament Team.
 
UP NEXT
DBU await their postseason destination in the NCAA Regional. The locations and seeds will be announced on Monday at 11:00AM on ESPN2.