SAN ANGELO, Texas – The third-seeded Rams advanced to the championship game of the NCAA South-Central Regional Baseball Tournament, defeating top-ranked and first-seed Colorado Mesa 5-2 at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium.

The Rams are now one win away from punching their ticket to the NCAA World Series, in Cary, North Carolina, slated for June 5-12.

Like ASU's first game of the tournament, the Rams scored early against Colorado Mesa as Jackson Hardy led off with a walk before Josh Elvir sent a ball over the right-field fence, taking a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Rams added another run in the second when Reese Johnson laid down a sac bunt down the right-field line, scoring Nick Novak in the process.

Novak came around to score again in the fourth inning, this time on a wild pitch before Johnson hit a sac fly to left field to send Koby Kelton home.

Carson Childers picked up the win on the night to improve to 7-0 on the season, earning his second straight win of the tournament. With the bases loaded and no outs, Childers entered the game in the fifth inning and recorded three straight strikeouts to keep the Mavericks scoreless.

Mat Szabo started on the mound for the Rams, throwing four scoreless innings with only three hits and five strikeouts. The Rams finished with 12 strikeouts on the night as Childers added seven of his own, including the final out of the contest.

The Mavericks scored one run in the sixth and another in the ninth, both coming off of sac flies.

Colorado Mesa will face West Texas A&M in an elimination game tomorrow at 2 p.m., with the winner moving on to face the Rams in the championship game scheduled for 6:30 p.m.