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BLUEFIELD, Va. – After dropping the series opener 12-0 to University of Rio Grande on Saturday night, the Bluefield College baseball team bounced back by earning a 5-4 come-from-behind win and a 5-2 victory to notch the Sunday sweep and Mid-South Conference series win at Bowen Field.
A walk-off RBI single from
Jacob Schober earned the Rams a 5-4 win after a two-run inning in the bottom of the ninth. Schober was 2-for-5 in game Sunday's first game, tallying two RBI.
Kahlin Villines posted three RBI in the series finale, going 1-for-2 to lift BC to a 5-2 win.
Game 1 – SaturdayRio's David Steele (4-4) faced one batter above the minimum on Saturday night, as the RedStorm struck for 10 hits and 12 runs to take down the Rams in a shortened seven-inning game.
Steele's lone blemish in the book was a hit by
Tyler Timmer—a pop fly in the infield which no one made a play on.
The RedStorm struck for nine hits and nine runs on BC's starting pitcher
Zac Russell-Myers, who completed 4.1 innings of work.
Centerfielder Marcus Makuch had the standout performance, going 2-for-4 with five RBI in the win for URG.
Game 2 – SundayRio Grande looked to be poised to take the first two of the series in game two, but the Rams rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth for the 5-4 win.
Rio jumped on the board first with a single run in the first. After two outs on two pitches, the RedStorm became patient at the plate and worked three-straight singles into a run.
Ninth year head coach
Mike White shook up the Rams' batting order on Sunday, and it worked quickly as BC struck for three runs in the bottom half of the first frame.
Russell-Myers led off with a single to left, but would be caught stealing following a
Tyler Lundgren fly out. But, with two outs, Bluefield began a two-out rally of its own. Timmer reached on a walk, then advanced on a passed ball.
A Schober double squared the game 1-1, while a wild pitch and
Jacob Wright single scored Schober. Another wild pitch sent Wright to second, while
Sawyer McLamb's first of three hits in Sunday's lead game made it a 3-1 game in favor of the hosts.
Rio quickly made a pitching change, pulling starter Anthony Knittel for Mike Deitsch. A walk placed two on with two out, but a groundout got the RedStorm out of the jam.
The RedStorm slowly came back, tallying single runs in the second and fourth innings to square the game at 3-3, then taking the lead back with a single run in the fifth.
Deitsch settled in for Rio Grande and only surrendered five hits to BC until the ninth inning.
The top of BC's lineup began the ninth. With one out, Lundgren sent a single up the middle, with
Tyler Rome coming on as a courtesy runner. A pitch squirted away from Clark Rice and Rome advanced to second, just avoiding the tag.
Timmer sent another single up the middle, bringing Rome around to score, while Timmer advanced on the throw to the plate.
Schober then delivered the game winner with the third-straight hit up the middle of the infield, allowing Timmer to score from second.
Cory Niten (3-2) earned the win for BC, pitching 2-2/3 innings and allowing just one hit. Starting pitcher
Kenneth Miranda took the no decision, pitching 4-2/3 innings for BC and giving up four runs on nine hits. Deitsch drew the loss for the RedStorm.
Game 3 – SundayAfter a 1-2-3 inning by starting pitcher Ryan Schockey, the Rams grabbed a 1-0 lead. Lundgren sent a double to deep right-centerfield, with
Chris McCollister coming on as the courtesy runner. Timmer was hit by a pitch to place two on, while a Schober strikeout brought Wright to the plate with two down.
The senior sent a single to left field, scoring McCollister from second for the game's first run.
Rio tallied a pair of hits in the second, but a pair of line outs, including a diving grab from Wright in right field, closed the inning and held the visitors scoreless.
Lundgren led off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to deep right-center field, sending the ball between Bowen Field's scoreboard and batter's eye.
In the fourth, BC tacked on two runs on three hits. Copeland reached on an infield single, while Rome followed with a single to right to place two on. Villines sent a double to deep left-center field, scoring both runs. Villines stole third, but, a pair of strikeouts let the runner stranded.
The RedStorm jumped right back into it with a pair of runs on three hits in the sixth inning. Kevin Arroyo led off with a double to left-center, while an infield single for Carlos Flores placed two on with no outs. A groundout scored one, while another infield single scored Flores later in the inning. A lineout closed the inning, but Rio had cut the lead in half to 4-2.
Bluefield tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, after
Sawyer McLamb reached on a walk. A sacrifice bunt from Copeland sent McLamb to second, while a Rome single made it first and third with one out.
Villines grounded out to shortstop to score McLamb and give BC a 5-2 lead.
One runner reached for Rio on a dropped infield fly in the top of the seventh, but the RedStorm couldn't take advantage, giving BC the Sunday sweep and series win.
Shockey (6-2) claimed the victory with the complete-game effort, striking out five and walking none. The RedStorm's two runs came on six hits.
Rio's Eric Ford (0-5) took the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits, but striking out six.
Bluefield is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Bluefield State with a 2 p.m. first pitch.