Rio Grande News
Ryan Chapman suffered the loss in Rio's 5-4 12th inning loss to St. Catharine in MSC Play-In Series
Ryan Chapman suffered the loss in Rio's 5-4 12th inning loss to St. Catharine in MSC Play-In Series
Fri, Apr 22, 2011 - [Baseball]

Rio Grande --- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm baseball team lost a hard-fought, extra-inning classic to St. Catharine College on Friday afternoon at rainy Bob Evans Field in Game One of the best-of-three Mid-South Conference Play-In series. St. Catharine rallied with two runs in the bottom of the 12th inning to win the game, 5-4.

Rio Grande (28-23), the No. 3 Seed from the East Division, lost the coin flip and was the visiting team in the game. Rio trailed the entire game, but rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth to take a brief 3-2 lead. Sophomore second baseman Kyle Perez (Casselberry, FL) started the inning with a bunt single and eventually scored Rio's first run of the game. Two key errors by St. Catharine aided the RedStorm cause. 

St. Catharine (29-24-1), the No. 4 Seed from the West Division, was down to its final strike, but tied the game on a two-out, two-strike single from Tyler Mischel.

It looked as if Rio was going to survive when senior first baseman Francisco Ramirez (Columbus, OH) struck a big blow with a solo home run in the top of the 12th to give the RedStorm a 4-3 lead. The advantage for Rio Grande again proved to be short-lived as the Patriots tied the game with a two-out solo home run from Luis Zeledon. Adam Blair was then hit by a pitch, for the third time in the game, and scored the game-winner on a double from Jeremy Turpin that hit off the glove of Rio rightfielder Brandon Lay (Columbus, OH).

St. Catharine took an early 2-0 lead with three consecutive hits to start the game off Rio starter Desmond Sullivan (Scarborough, ONT). Carlos Hernandez led off with a double, scored on a single from Juan Moriel and Moriel then scored on a double from Mischel. 

Sullivan recovered from the rocky start and pitched into the ninth inning, before being relieved by junior Ryan Chapman (Racine, OH). Sullivan fanned seven and walked one, while allowing eight hits and three runs in eight innings of pitching.

Chapman (2-4) gave up the two runs in the 12th to absorb the loss. 

Rio Grande had eight hits in the game. Senior shortstop Brad Konrad (Maumee, OH) led the Rio attack, going 2-for-5. Senior outfielder Michael Lynch (Cleveland, OH) was 1-for-5 with an RBI, Lay was 1-for-2 with an RBI that tied the game. Perez was 1-for-3 with a run scored and Ramirez was 1-for-6 with the home run. Junior catcher Brian Suerdick (Dayton, OH) and sophomore designated hitter Shane Spies (Polk, OH) had the other base hits for the RedStorm. 

St. Catharine collected 12 hits in the game with Moriel leading the way, going 3-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and he walked twice. Mischel, Hernandez, Zeledon and Turpin all had two hits each for the Patriots.

Tim Paxton started the game and pitched well for St. Catharine, lasting 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Matt Wagner (6-1) won the game in relief despite surrendering the go-ahead run twice in the game. Wagner pitched four innings, allowing two hits and two runs (one earned) with six strikeouts.
 
"I think we made a good pitch in the ninth and it could have been over, but evidently it was a ball and that's the way it was called and you've got to keep playing," said Rio Grande head coach Brad Warnimont.  "Frank (Francisco Ramirez) comes up with the big hit, a solo jack and we miss with location on a slider with an 0-2 pitch and he (Zeledon) hits it out of the yard."
 
"I don't know what happened on that last play, if that's a catchable ball or if that's a double, I don't know," Warnimont added.  "The bottom line is my seniors have got to make plays when the game's on the line and we've got to catch that ball."
 

"Tomorrow is a new day and we'll see what the rain has in store for us and we'll go from there," Warnimont said. 

St. Catharine takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Game Two is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and Game Three, if necessary, will be played at 3 p.m. Stretch Internet will have play-by-play coverage of the game(s).