Strong pitching, quick start leads Rio past Bearcats

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Jacob Napier and Trey White combined on a seven-hitter, while Angel De La Cruz had three hits and drove in four runs as the University of Rio Grande cruised to a 9-1 win over Brescia University. Friday afternoon, in River States Conference baseball action at chilly Bob Evans Field.
     The RedStorm extended their winning streak to six straight games, improving to 17-19 overall and 8-8 in league play.
     Brescia, which is coached by former Rio Grande assistant coach Jon Herbig, dropped to 8-25-1 overall and 3-13 in the RSC with the loss.
     Napier, a freshman right-hander from Alexandria, Ky., allowed four hits and a run over 5-2/3 innings en route to his fifth win in six decisions. He walked two and fanned seven.
     White, a senior from Crooksville, Ohio, allowed just three hits over 3-1/3 scoreless innings of relief. The left-hander struck out three batters of his own.
     By the time that Napier surrendered a run on a sixth inning sacrifice fly by Brescia's Kendal Kortz, Rio Grande had built a 6-0 lead with a single run in the second, two third inning runs and three fifth inning markers.
     The RedStorm set the final score thanks to a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth off the bat of De La Cruz, a sophomore from Santo Domingo, D.R.
     Senior Clayton Surrell (Carroll, OH) contributed three hits of his own, including a double, to Rio's 15-hit attack, while junior Daniel Rutherford (Coal Grove, OH) finished 2-for-5 with two RBI.
     Junior Trey Carter (Wheelersburg, OH) also had two hits and a run batted in, while junior Darius Jordan (Minford, OH) and graduate senior Andrew Daria (Villa Hills, KY) also had two hits each.
     Juan Guzman finished 2-for-3 and Mikey Clements doubled in a losing cause for Brescia.
     Schon Pespisa started and took the loss for the Bearcats, allowing 10 hits and six runs over five innings.
     The two teams will complete their three-game weekend series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.