SAN ANGELO Jalen Battles singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday as McLennan Community College slipped past Odessa College 5-4 in the losers bracket final of the NJCAA Region V Baseball Tournament at Foster Field.
The Highlanders (45-13) advanced to play New Mexico Junior College in the championship round Monday night.
Odessa College (38-22) finished third in the tournament after entering as the fourth seed from the WJCAC.
The Wranglers trailed 3-1 in the fifth inning when Harry Fullerton hit a three-run homer to give Odessa College a 4-3 lead. McLennan tied it in the eight on an RBI single by Battles, who finished 2 for 5. Aiden Shepardson was 3 for 4 with a home run for the Highlanders, while T.J. Tomlinson went 4 for 5 with an RBI for the Wranglers.
Rene Ramos (1-0) worked two scoreless innings for the win. Noah Brown (4-1), who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, took the loss.
