KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Tennessee Wesleyan is heading back to the Avista-NAIA World Series after defeating Cumberlands 7-5 in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round - Kingsport Bracket on Thursday.

The tournament was held at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn.

Tennessee Wesleyan found itself in a hole early on as Cumberlands scored a run in the first and grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the third when Sujel Arias belted a three-run home run. The Bulldogs, though, came back in the bottom of the third with a four-run rally. Evan Magill lined a three-run double and then scored on a Jermayne Ward infield single.

In the fourth and fifth, Tennessee Wesleyan tacked a run in each inning for a 6-4 advantage. Cumberlands cut the margin to 6-5 in the seventh, but Braxton Turner delivered an RBI double in the eighth to up the Bulldogs' lead to 7-5.

Reliever Liam Doolan sat the Patriots down in order in the ninth, sealing the two-run victory.

This is Tennessee Wesleyan's first trip back to the NAIA World Series since winning the national championship in 2019.

The NAIA World Series is set for May 27-June 3 in Lewiston, Idaho.

Tournament Results
Monday, May 16
Game 1 - No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene def. No. 5 Madonna - 9-6 (BOX)
Game 2 - No. 3 Cumberlands def. No. 2 Warner - 4-2 (BOX)
Game 3 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene - 11-8 (BOX)

Tuesday, May 17
Game 4 – No. 5 Madonna def. No. 2 Warner - 6-5 (BOX)
Game 5 – No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 3 Cumberlands - 14-1 (BOX)
Game 6 – No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene def. No. 5 Madonna - 12-11 (10 innings) (BOX)

Wednesday, May 18
Game 7 - No. 3 Cumberlands def. No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene - 19-6 (BOX)
Game 8 - No. 3 Cumberlands def. No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan - 30-8 (BOX)

Thursday, May 19
Game 9 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan def No. 3 Cumberlands - 7-5 (BOX)