Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - For the second consecutive day, the University of Rio Grande's inability to record three defensive outs in the final scheduled inning of play proved costly.
And, in the process, that inability denied the RedStorm of a doubleheader sweep and the chance to divide its four-game, non-conference weekend series with Concordia University-Ann Arbor.
The visiting Cardinals pushed across three runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings and then scratched out a 10th inning marker for a 6-5 win in the nightcap of Saturday's twin bill at Bob Evans Field.
Rio Grande, which rebounded from dropping each of the first two games in the series on Friday with a 9-6 triumph in the opener, finished the day at 10-10.
The split left Concordia at 9-3.
The Cardinals' seventh inning rally in game two saw two different Rio pitchers walk each of the first three batters to promptly load the bases. Senior Beiker Fuentes (Crystal Lake, IL) took over on the mound and induced Gus Simon into a run-scoring fielder's choice grounder to shortstop before Jake Kuhlman followed with a single to right to make it 5-4.
Pinch-hitter Matthew Dubrick then laid down a squeeze bunt to plate Simon with the tying run.
That's how things stayed until the top of the 10th.
Again, consecutive walks and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs and another squeeze bunt - this time by Tyler Wressel - plated what proved to be the winning run.
Rio Grande, which had the would-be winning run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings but failed to score, went down routinely in the home 10th.
Dave Rozmys got the win, allowing five hits and a run over 3-2/3 innings of relief. Blake Weaver pitched the perfect 10th to record a save.
Kuhlman had two hits and Wressel drove in two runs for the Cardinals.
Fuentes, the fourth of five Rio pitchers, took the loss.
Redshirt sophomore Brett Haskins (Evans, WV) had two hits and two RBI in the loss for the RedStorm, while Fuentes and junior Keniel Rosado (Juncos, P.R.) both went 2-for-5 with a run batted in.
In the game one victory, Rio Grande erased a 3-0 deficit by scoring seven times in the home fourth and then sealed its win with two more runs in the sixth.
Haskins had a two-run double in the seven-run fourth, while freshman Gregory Catano (Miami, FL), freshman Riley Wooldridge (Cincinnati, OH) and Fuentes all had run-scoring singles.
Senior Likeiry Jimenez (Reading, PA) singled home both of the sixth inning markers.
Jimenez finished 3-for-4, while Catano and junior Josiah Devapalan (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) had two hits each in the victory.
Freshman Eli Allen (Urbana, OH) - the second of four RedStorm hurlers - got the win despite allowing three hits and three runs over 2-2/3 innings. Junior Daewin Spence (Portsmouth, OH) retired the side in the seventh for a save.
CUAA starter Bryon Mane took the loss, allowing seven hits and seven runs in 3-2/3 innings.
Derek Hebner drove in two runs for the Cardinals, while Simon, Wressel and Justin Kozlowski all had doubles in a losing cause.
Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday with a non-conference twin bill against Cleary University in Howell, Mich. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
