Cougars rally, walk off RedStorm

Rio Grande Sports Information
     KOKOMO, Ind. - Just when appeared as if the University of Rio Grande baseball team was ticketed for its first River States Conference win of the season, the floor fell out from under the RedStorm.
     Indiana University Kokomo rallied from a 7-2 fourth inning deficit, pushing across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and taking the opening game of a three-game weekend set, 10-9, Friday afternoon, at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
     The host Cougars improved to 5-13 overall and 5-2 in league play with the win.
     Rio Grande slipped to 12-11 overall and 0-7 against RSC foes after the gut-wrenching setback.
     Head coach Brad Warnimont's squad appeared in good shape after scoring five times in the top of the fourth for a 7-2 cushion.
     Single runs in the fifth and sixth frames had the RedStorm in front, 9-5, but IUK tied the game with three runs in the home sixth and a single run in the seventh before winning it in the ninth.
     Jedvier Garcia hit a one-out triple to right-center and then scored the game-winning run when the throw to the plate on Payton Hankins' fielder's choice grounder to second base was late.
     Rodney Rachel went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double and four runs batted in to lead the Cougars, while Nate Montgomery was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
     Garcia finished with two hits and Noah Wolf had a double in the winning effort.
     Cameron Heaney, the last of four IUK pitchers, got the win after tossing two shutout innings.
     Sophomore Gehrig Cordial (South Charleston, OH), the sixth Rio Grande pitcher of the contest, took the loss.
     Senior Josiah Devapalan (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three RBI for the RedStorm, while redshirt junior Brett Haskins (Ripley, WV) was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI and sophomore Riley Wooldridge (Cincinnati, OH) was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double.
     Junior Caleb Asjes (Overland Park, KS) also had two hits in the loss.
     The two teams will complete their series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon.