Rio Grande Sports Information
OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - Oakland City University posted a pair of come-from-behind victories for a doubleheader sweep of the University of Rio Grande, Friday afternoon, in River States Conference baseball action and Konkler Field.
The Mighty Oaks scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning to post a 6-4 win in the opener, while the hosts erased three separate deficits en route to a 12-10 triumph in the nightcap.
Oakland City, which also won the series opener on Thursday afternoon, improved to 23-10 overall and 10-1 in league play as a result of the sweep.
Rio Grande, which has now lost five in a row and 12 of its last 15 outings, concluded the weekend at 13-19 overall and 5-7 in the RSC.
In game one it was the RedStorm who rallied from a pair of early one-run deficits, scoring twice in the top of the sixth inning on run-scoring hits by junior Josiah Devapalan (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) and senior Likeiry Jimenez (Reading, PA) to take a 4-3 lead.
But the Mighty Oaks tied the game in the seventh on a solo home run by Keifer Wilson and then grabbed the advantage in the home eighth on an RBI single by Wilson and a sacrifice fly by Kendric Sorgius.
Rio Grande did manage to load the bases with two outs in the ninth, but OCU reliever Chase Rubenacker retired junior Keniel Rosado (Juncos, P.R.) on a grounder back to the mound to end the game.
Rubenacker earned his third win in as many decisions with 3-1/3 innings of two-hit, shutout work on the mound.
Redshirt sophomore Eduard Escolastico (Santiago, D.R.) suffered the loss for Rio, surrendering three hits and two runs over 1-2/3 innings.
Rosado finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a losing cause, while Devapalan also had two hits.
Wilson went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and three RBI for Oakland City, while Xander Willis was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI and Hudson Allen finished 2-for-4.
Game two saw Rio Grande scored once in each of the first two innings for a 2-0 lead and then four times in the fourth for a 6-2 cushion.
The Mighty Oaks exploded for six runs in the fifth to grab an 8-6 edge, but the RedStorm countered with three markers in the top of the sixth to regain a 9-8 lead.
OCU pushed across four more runs in the home sixth to go back in front and then held on in the seventh and final frame for the victory.
Devapalan went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in for Rio Grande, while senior Beiker Fuentes (Crystal Lake, IL) was 3-for-5 with a double and and an RBI and freshman Riley Wooldridge (Cincinnati, OH) hit a pair of home runs and drove in three.
Jimenez added two hits and two RBI for the RedStorm, while freshman Gehrig Cordial (South Charleston, OH) was 2-for-3.
Redshirt sophomore Jacob Napier (Alexandria, KY) took the loss in relief, allowing five hits, three walks and five runs over two innings.
Dicky Gonzalez, the fourth of five pitchers for the Mighty Oaks, got the win despite allowing four hits and three runs over two innings.
Sorgius did allow a run in the seventh, but got the final out with the would-be tying run at the plate for his second save.
Gonzalez homered, doubled and drove in five runs for OCU, while Josh Russell was 2-for-3 with a home run and Wilson finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Allen and Fred Fernandez both had two hits - including a double - and drove in a run each in the winning effort, while Marcos Arocho also had two hits and Sorgius had a double.
Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday afternoon when it hosts Alice Lloyd College in a non-conference twin bill at Bob Evans Field.
First pitch for the opening game is set for 1 p.m.
