April 2, 2010

RedStorm baseball sweeps Pikeville

Rio Grande --- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm baseball team continued to roll with a doubleheader sweep of Pikeville College on Friday afternoon at Bob Evans Field. Rio won the opener by a 7-2 score and captured the finale 17-6 in run-rule fashion. 

Rio Grande (31-4, 13-1 MSC) improved its winning streak to 15 straight. 

Senior Tyler Schunk (Cincinnati, OH) contributed mightily to the first game win for the RedStorm. He went the distance on the mound, picking up his seventh win of the season. Schunk (7-1) struck out 11 batters and held the Bears to only four hits.

Offensively, Schunk was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI's. Junior first baseman Francisco Ramirez (Columbus, OH) went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI and senior rightfielder John Storey (Wheelersburg, OH) was 1-for-3 with a solo home run.

Senior centerfielder Ryan Yakura (Pickering, ONT) went 1-for-3 and drove in a run while junior leftfielder Michael Lynch (Cleveland, OH) was 0-for-1 with an RBI. Freshman third baseman Robbie Easterling (Proctorville, OH) and junior second baseman Christian Frias (Salinas, PR) were both 1-for-3. 

Rio won 17-6 in game two with a walk-off grand slam home run from Frias in the bottom of the sixth inning.   For the game, Frias was 2-for-4 with a double and totaled six RBI's. 

Junior righfielder Brandon Lay (Columbus, OH) was 1-for-2 with a home run and Schunk went 1-for-3 with a long ball and three RBI's. 

Lynch, Ramirez and senior catcher Tyler Plumpton (Peterborough, ONT) all went 3-for-4. Lynch had a double and an RBI and Plumpton also drove in a run. Junior shortstop Brad Konrad (Maumee, OH) was 2-for-4. 

Yakura and senior designated hitter Chris Mahon (Hamilton, OH) both went 1-for-2. Mahon drove in a run. 

Junior pitcher Desmond Sullivan (Scarborough, ONT) improved his record to 5-0 on the season. He allowed five hits and six runs in seven innings, walking six and striking out four. 

"We swung the bat extremely well," said Rio Grande head coach Brad Warnimont. "Des (Sullivan) really didn't have his best stuff, maybe the heat got to him a little bit - it was a warm day."

"We did swing the bat extremely well," Warnimont added. "We had ample opportunities to get that run-rule a little sooner (in the second game), we left some runners on base, but Christian Frias hit the walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the sixth, so it saved on pitching a little bit I guess."

"We're swinging the bats really well and playing sound defense."

Warnimont also lauded the continued hot streak of Schunk. "Tyler, again he's locked in pretty well," Warnimont said. "He had a home run in each game today and boy he's really focused, he's swinging the bat extremely well and he was, again lights out on the mound with 11 strikeouts and gave up a couple of earned runs, which is kind of out of character for him, but I guess we're spoiled that way."

"He's playing really good baseball right now and we need to keep him in that groove."

Pikeville College now stands at 3-20 on the season and 1-12 in Mid-South Conference play.

Rio and Pikeville will hook up again on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Stretch Internet will have play-by-play coverage beginning at 12:55 p.m.