February 19, 2010

RedStorm baseball wins two

Chattanooga, TN--- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm baseball team won a pair of games on Friday at a tournament held at Tennessee Temple University. Rio Grande won the first game 6-3 over Indiana Wesleyan and then routed the host school in the nightcap, 15-3 in six innings.

Rio Grande (4-1) continues to hit the ball exceptionally well in the early season. The RedStorm also received good pitching in both games on Friday. Junior righthander Angel Santiago (Santa Isabel, PR) picked up his first win of the season in the game one victory. Santiago (1-0) went five innings and scattered five hits, allowing one earned run and striking out three batters.

Junior shortstop Brad Konrad (Maumee, OH) continued his torrid start to the season, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run and two RBI's. He had a sacrifice fly to go along with his first long ball of the season.

Junior first baseman Francisco Ramirez (Columbus, OH) was 1-for-4 with a run batted in while junior outfielder Michael Lynch (Lyndhurst, OH) was 1-for-2 with a two-run double to his credit.

Senior centerfielder Ryan Yakura (Pickering, ONT) went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple and junior second baseman Christian Frias (Salinas, PR) was 1-for-3 with a double.

Indiana Wesleyan falls to 0-1 on the season.

It was all Rio Grande in game two as they collected 17 hits in the win over Tennessee Temple. Senior catcher Tyler Plumpton (Peterborough, ONT) was the hitting star for the RedStorm. Plumpton tallied three hits in four at-bats with two RBI's. Ramirez also went 3-for-4 at the plate.

Lynch collected two more hits and knocked in two runs and senior left fielder Chris Mahon (Hamilton, OH) went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI's.

Yakura added two hits and senior right fielder John Storey (Wheelersburg, OH) went 2-for-2. Frias notched an RBI hit and junior Dominick McAllister (Columbus, OH) clubbed a pinch-hit two-run double. 

Junior southpaw Jesse Brown (Mt. Pleasant, NC) started and won the game for Rio Grande. Brown (1-0) lasted 4 1/3 innings yielding all three Crusader runs. Freshman Eric Ford (Chagrin Falls, OH) fired a perfect sixth inning in his collegiate debut. He struck out all three batters he faced.

Tennessee Temple falls to 1-3 on the season.

"We really hit well," said Rio Grande head coach Brad Warnimont. "I think we're locked in the championship game even if we lose in the morning (versus Emmanuel College), although I don't plan on that."

Rio and Emmanuel will play at 10 a.m. Stretch Internet will have play-by-play coverage beginning at 9:55 a.m.