The East Central Community College Warriors opened their NJCAA Division II World Series appearance with a thrilling 6-5 victory over Catawba Valley on Saturday, powered by a steady offense and a dominant outing from right-hander Chris Bilingsley.

Bilingsley was a force on the mound, striking out seven over eight innings while scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run. He improved to 9-3 on the season and kept the Red Hawks in check through most of the contest. Andrew Nielsen came in to close the door in the ninth and earned the save, stranding the tying run on base to preserve the win.

Offensively, East Central (43-14) spread the damage across five consecutive innings, beginning in the second when Langston Cotten drew a bases-loaded walk to score the game's first run. After briefly falling behind 2-1 in the top of the third, the Warriors responded immediately as Jayden Adcox launched a two-run homer, reclaiming the lead at 3-2.

Adcox finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, while first baseman Barret Rodgers added two doubles and two runs scored. Cotten and Brady McAbee each contributed RBIs, and John Lewis added another with a groundout in the sixth to extend East Central's lead to 6-3.

Catawba Valley (43-17) refused to go quietly, pushing across two runs in the top of the ninth. Drew Berenyi's RBI single brought them within one, and a sacrifice fly by Pierce Bouwman cut the lead to 6-5. But Nielsen stepped up in relief to shut the rally down.

Despite three errors, the Warriors held strong, outhitting the Red Hawks 8-7 and executing timely pitching when it mattered most.

With the win, East Central advances in the winner's bracket and will face South Mountain tomorrow, Sunday, May 25, at 10 a.m.