LEWISTON, Idaho -- The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds weren't listening to anyone who suggested their stay at the NAIA World Series would be a short one.
Even when they fell behind 6-1 Saturday, the Sunbirds still believed they could win.
How right they were.
Dwight Nixon's pinch-hit, walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Sunbirds new life in the national tournament and sparked memories of last week's run to the regional title in Iowa.
With their 8-6 victory over Embry-Riddle, the Sunbirds advanced to an 8:30 a.m. Monday matchup against Lee of Tennessee.
Nixon, a hero of the regional when he hit .667, sat out Saturday's elimination game against Embry-Riddle because he re-hurt his injured left thumb on Friday.
But coach
Oscar Hirschkorn called on Nixon with the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth after
Anthony Lowell's two-out single. Nixon responded with a blast over the wall in left field and was mobbed by his teammates at home plate.
"No one ever said we were done," Nixon said of his team's mood while falling behind 6-1. "We knew we were going to start hitting again."
After being shut out in Friday's 5-0 loss to host school Lewis-Clark State, the Sunbirds failed to score in their first four at-bats on Saturday.
They managed their first run in the fifth, then broke out with four in the sixth thanks to a three-run triple off the centerfield wall by
Joey Norwood. Another run in the seventh tied the game.
Meanwhile, relief pitcher
Brian Oliver was shutting down Embry-Riddle for the final 3 2/3 innings.
Nixon, who injured his left thumb late in the regular season, was kept out of Saturday's game by Hirschkorn.
"But he told me if he needed me he might call on me," Nixon said. "He gave me that call. You can't get any better scenario than that."
Nixon said he hoped Saturday's victory would spark another run like last week, when the Sunbirds won five straight elimination games to take the regional title.
"This gives us great momentum, like at regional," he said. "We're ready to go."
Hirschkorn said scoring in the fifth opened the floodgates.
"The biggest breakthrough was getting that first run," he said.
Lowell had three hits -- giving him seven in two World Series games. None was bigger than his single to right in the ninth, setting up Nixon's heroics.
Oliver earned his third victory.
"He's our shut-down guy and he shut them down," Hirschkorn said. "That's why we give him the ball at the end of games."
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