LEWISTON, Idaho – (Box Score) Kaleb Harris’ two-out, two run double in the top of the 14th inning proved the difference, as No. 6 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) defeated No. 10 Point (Ga.), 11-9, in the first of four Saturday games at the 2016 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series.

Harris, a senior from Pinson, Ala., deposited the first pitch he saw deep in the left field corner to clear the bases and give Auburn Montgomery an 11-9 lead. The hit made Harris 3-for-5 on the game with three RBI and one run scored.

“I’ve been seeing the ball well and was able to put some good wood on it,” said Harris. “I’m on cloud nine, it’s definitely a feeling that I’ve never had before. I’m looking forward to getting another one.”

Clark Gray (3-0) tossed a season-high 6.2 innings of one-hit relief to earn the win. The Montgomery, Ala., native retired 18-straight Skyhawks before Riliani Familia reached via error in the bottom of the 14th. However, the miscue amounted to nothing, as Gray surrendered the next two hitters.

With the victory, Auburn Montgomery improves to 6-3 all-time in elimination games at the World Series and advances to play the loser of No. 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and No. 1 Faulkner (Ala.) Monday at 12 p.m. PDT. The Warhawks are now 8-7 all-time at the event.

“Even if we would have lost, we would have gone out the way we ground out this entire schedule this season – there’s no quit,” said Auburn Montgomery head coach Marty Lovrich. “Clark put us on his shoulders, and that’s what we had to have. It got towards the end, and I knew that he hadn’t gone much more than two, but he had earned the right to stay in there. He got it done.”

No. 1 – 4 hitters for Auburn Montgomery were a combined 10-for-23 (.435) on the day, including a career-high tying five hits by centerfielder Dalton Kelley. The performance extends the senior’s hitting streak to 15 games. Kelley also scored three times and drove in one.

Point seized early control of the game with a five-run first inning, highlighted by a one-out, two-run single by Juan Reyes. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs to set the table for a big inning. Anthony Padron plated the game’s first run with blooper into shallow left field to score Bryce Jay from third base. A ground out and wild pitch accounted for the additional two runs in the inning.

A leadoff walk in the second frame opened the door for Point once again, and the Skyhawks pounced two batter later when Familia drilled a double to deep right-center. Jay scored his second run of the game on the play. Familia later scored on a Padron single, pushing the Skyhawks’ lead to 7-1.

Auburn Montgomery starting pitcher Raymond Moody, who entered the game with eight games with at least six innings pitched this year, lasted only 1.1 innings – his shortest outing of the year. The senior right-hander allowed seven runs, six hits, walked two and struck out one.

The Warhawks scratched across another run in the top of the third, before a five-run fifth inning knotted the score, 7-7. A pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with one out for Auburn Montgomery. A strikeout put two outs on the board with Cody Rush at the dish. The senior left fielder made the best of the opportunity, shooting a two-run single into right-center.

A wild pitch cut the Warhawks’ deficit to 7-5. The Point starter continued to have control issues in the inning, hitting and walking the next two hitters. A routine ground ball to the shortstop proved anything but, as a miscommunication allowed Brandon Pooler to beat the force and score Rush from third. Dalton Kelley’s single tied the game 7-7, however the stanza also ended on the play when Pooler was gunned down at home.

Point quickly regained the lead with a run in the fifth and sixth, pushing its advantage out to 9-7.

Back-to-back sacrifice flies in the eighth inning tied the score once again, 9-9. A single by John-Mark Cosby and double by Kelley – his 14th of the season – set the stage for Kaleb Harris, who lifted a 0-2 pitch to deep right field to score Cosby and advance Kelly to third. Pinch hitter Trey Matherson plated Kelly with a fly out to left.

Neither side scored a run in the final two innings, sending the game into extras. Auburn Montgomery, which lost to Bellevue (Neb.) in a 10 inning thriller yesterday, is the first team since Oklahoma Wesleyan in 2014 to play in two extra inning ballgames in one World Series.

The Warhawks threatened in the 11th and 13th innings with runners in scoring positions, but failed to score.

Similar to Auburn Montgomery, Point’s top-four hitters combined for nine of the club’s 14 hits and eight runs scored. Familia and Juan Reyes each tallied three hits in the loss.

Point reliever Luis Florentino (3-8) took the loss. He allowed two runs and six hits in five innings.

The Skyhawks, who were appearing in their first-ever World Series, are eliminated from the event and fall to 34-31 overall.

Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, is broadcasting the first 15 games of the 2016 Avista-NAIA World Series. An All-World Series package can be purchased for $29.95, while a day pass is available for $9.95. For more information, visit www.NAIANetwork.com.

The Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series is a 10-team, double-elimination event hosted by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). For more information on the 60th annual event, click HERE.