RedStorm bombs Bearcats in play-in opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande pushed across 13 runs over the first two innings and rolled to a 22-7 mercy rule-shortened win over Brescia University in the River States Conference Baseball Championship Opening Round, Friday afternoon, at Bob Evans Field.
     The RedStorm, the East Division No. 4 seed, improved to 19-28 with the victory and took a 1-0 lead in its best-of-three series with the Bearcats in the process.
     The series winner will advance to the RSC Tournament final site - VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio - for double-elimination bracket play beginning next Thursday.
Brescia, the No. 5 seed from the West Division, fell to 12-33 with the loss.
     The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead on a one-out first inning home run by Gavin Huebner, but Rio countered with seven runs in the bottom of the frame and added six more markers in the second inning for a 13-1 advantage.
     Sophomore Josh Whent (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada), freshman Samuel Colina (Maracaibo, Venezuela) and senior Luke Lindamood (Minford, OH) all had two-run singles in the first inning, while Lindamood had a two-run double, junior Alex Scoular (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and junior Beiker Fuentes (Crystal Lake, IL) had an RBI double in the six-run second.
     Brescia got back-to-back home runs from Jonny Foti and Mikey Clements in the third inning and added two more runs in the fourth to close the gap to 13-5, but the RedStorm countered with five runs in the fourth inning and three more tallies in the fifth and the rout was back on.
     The 22 runs scored were the most by a Rio Grande team in a single game since a 22-1 win over Ohio University-Chillicothe in the second game of a doubleheader on March 3, 2020.
     Lindamood, who was recently named the club's Grint and Grind Award winner for 2024, finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and six RBI to lead the winning effort.
     Whent and Colina each had two hits and two RBI for Rio, while sophomore Darwin Oleaga (Boston, MA) had two hits - including a double - and the duo of freshman Omar Chirinos (Santa Rita City, Venezuela) and senior Angel Cruz (Santo Domingo, D.R.) had two RBI each. Junior Likeiry Jimenez (Reading, PA) also had a double.
     Sophomore Daewin Spence (Portsmouth, OH) earned the win despite allowing nine hits and five runs over five innings.
     Preston Franey started and lost for Brescia, allowing five hits and seven runs - four earned - in his only inning of work.
     Foti led the Bearcats at the plate, going 3-for-5 and driving in two runs, while Demarco Miller was 2-for-5 with a solo home run and Bryce Gamble finished 2-for-4.
     Huebner and Clements had two RBI each in a losing effort.
     Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday, at 11 a.m. A third game, if needed, would be played immediately afterward at 3 p.m.