Fast start helps RedStorm knock off Pioneers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande built a big early lead and then held on down the stretch to post a 7-6 win over Point Park University in the opening round of the 2023 River States Conference Baseball Championship, Thursday afternoon, at VA Memorial Stadium.
     The fifth-seeded RedStorm improved to 25-26 with the victory and will face No. 3 seed Indiana University Southeast (32-15) in a winner's bracket semifinal on Friday, at 7 p.m.
     Point Park, the tourney's No. 2 seed, faces sixth-seeded Oakland City (30-20) in Friday's elimination game at 11 a.m.
     The Pioneers trailed Rio Grande, 6-0, after two innings, but rallied late with a single run in the seventh inning and two eighth inning markers to pull within 7-6.
     A two-out single and subsequent stolen base by Carlos Burroughs in the bottom of the ninth inning put the tying run in scoring position, but junior reliever Lane Mettler (Bainbridge, OH) - the last of four RedStorm hurlers - retired Omar Morillo on a flyball to left to nail down the victory.
     Rio Grande built its early lead, primarily, around a five-run second inning which included a two-run double by sophomore Angel De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, D.R.) and a two-run home run by junior AJ Thomas (Pickerington, OH).
     Point Park began the road back with a two-run triple by Jared Campbell in the fifth inning and a run-scoring double by Justin Oakley in the sixth to slice the deficit to 6-3.
     The RedStorm got one of the runs back on a solo home run by junior Daniel Rutherford (Coal Grove, OH) in the top of the seventh, but the Pioneers had a run-scoring hit from Isaac Santana in the bottom of the seventh - in addition to a home run by Burroughs and a sacrifice fly by Michali Brito in the eighth - to close the gap to one run and set up the dramatic finish.
     De La Cruz finished 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in, while Rutherford added two hits and sophomore Braeden Gaul (Huntington, WV) doubled and drove in a run.
     Sophomore reliever Reid Shultz (Minford, OH) allowed seven hits and three runs over 3-1/3 innings, but earned his eighth win in 10 decisions.
     Easton Klein started and lost for PPU, allowing eight hits and six runs - five earned - over 5-1/3 innings.
     Burroughs, Morillo, Jordon Campbell and Carlos Martinez all had two hits in the loss for the Pioneers. Campbell's hit total included a double.