Rio Grande wins first two games over WVU Tech in #RSCBaseball Games of the Week
By Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Daryin Lewis did the job on the mound and at the plate in game one, while Luis Jimenez hit a three-run home run to back a strong pitching performance by Osvaldo Duran in game two as the University of Rio Grande swept a doubleheader from West Virginia University-Tech, Friday afternoon, in River States Conference baseball action at Bob Evans Field.
Lewis earned his fifth win in six decisions, while collecting three doubles and two RBI in a 6-4 opening game triumph and Jimenez's first home run of the year snapped a scoreless tie in an eventual 3-1 victory in the nightcap.
The games were part of a four-game weekend series designated as the RSC's Baseball Games of the Week.
The two wins by Rio left both teams at 15-14 overall and 9-5 in the RSC.
In game one, the RedStorm took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on consecutive two-out doubles by Lewis - a senior from Circleville, Ohio - and junior Cody Blackburn (Amanda, OH), but were forced erase a pair of one-run deficits en route to the win.
Tech took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with a pair of unearned runs which crossed on a two-out single by Marcus Rodriguez.
Rio got the lead back in the home fourth thanks to a pinch-hit RBI single by freshman Eli Daniels (Minford, OH) and a run-scoring double by Lewis, but the Golden Bears grabbed a 4-3 lead again in the fifth thanks to a two-run home run by Jacob Reimold.
The RedStorm went in front to stay in the home fifth thanks to an RBI double by junior Kam Herring (Heath, OH) and a go-ahead run scored by Jimenez, who won a foot race to home plate before Herring was tagged out in a rundown for the final out of the inning.
Rio's final run came in the sixth when sophomore Juan Cruz (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico) led off with a single and scored all the way from first on a one-out double by Lewis.
Meanwhile, Lewis retired the final eight batters he faced after the Reimold home run to nail down the win.
In addition to Lewis' three hits, Rio also got two hits each from Herring and Jimenez.
Chris Davidson had two hits and Tanner Levine doubled in a losing cause for Tech, while starter Jerod Jobst suffered his first loss in five decisions by giving up nine hits and five runs over 4-1/3 innings.
Game two was a pitcher's duel from start to finish between Duran - a sophomore from Guayanilla, Puerto Rico - and Tech right-hander Jayson Sykora.
The game was scoreless until the home fourth when Blackburn led off with a single, senior Dan Crozier (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) reached on a one-out hit and Jimenez followed by depositing a 3-2 pitch from Sykora over the fence in right for an opposite-field three-run home run.
The Golden Bears' lone run came in the sixth when pinch-hitter Brian Schack led off with a walk and Abraham Alejandro re-entered to run. Alex Kotheimer followed with a sacrifice bunt and Levine grounded to first, moving Alejandro to third where he scored from moments later on a passed ball.
Reimold was then hit by a pitch and Wyatt Belinda followed with a single to right, but Duran escaped any further damage by retiring Davidson on a routine fly to left.
Duran allowed a one-out single to Marcus Rodriguez in the seventh, but induced pinch-hitter Brady Groesbeck to ground to second and struck out pinch-hitter Doug Prather looking to finish things off.
Blackburn had two hits in the victory for Rio, while Duran (4-2) allowed five hits, walked two and struck out three in a complete game effort.
Sykora (1-3) pitched well enough to win, allowing four hits and striking out three in his own complete game performance.
The remainder of the series will conclude with another twinbill on Saturday. First pitch for game one is set for 1 p.m.
Live video and statistics will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/rio.