Box Score CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - A pitchers' duel turned into a ninth-inning rally by the St. Catharine Patriots Friday night, leading to a 5-4 Campbellsville University loss in the opening game of a three-game Mid-South Conference weekend.



The Tigers gave up five unearned runs in the top of the ninth, erasing a 4-0 lead. Campbellsville leftfielder Trent Seamons battled an eight-pitch at bat to reach on a single past second. After taking second on a defensive indifference, Seamons took third on a wild pitch. However, the game ended with Seamons called out as he slid past St. Catharine catcher Joey Andrada as part of a double play.

Campbellsville took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning of the pitchers' duel between Mid-South leading pitcher Ryan Rizzi and Tiger starter Ryan Richardson. Tanner Nielsen drove a 3-2, two-out pitch into shallow left center to score Michael Durham for Campellsville's first run.

The one-run lead stood after seven innings, when Richardson exited the game, allowing only four hits and no walks.

CU put together a three-run eighth inning, hoping to insure its victory.

Danny Lapachak got the inning going by taking a pitch off his back. Chance Kopacz followed with a double to center to put two Tigers in scoring position. After St. Catharine decided to intentionally walk Marc Garza, Craig Edwards singled to right to score Lapchak. Rylan Chin followed with a single to score two more.

Phillip Gerber took over on the mound for CU in the ninth. The side-armed slinger got a 1-1 ground ball hit to second, but the ball bounced off the heel of Chin's glove. Luis Zeledon was safe at first. After getting ahead 0-2, Gerber got another ground ball. This time C.J. Englestad hit a potential double-play ball up the middle, but Chin flipped the ball to an empty second base, leaving two on with no outs.

The Tiger second baseman rebounded though, retiring the first out of the inning with a third-straight grounder to second. With two in scoring position, Gerber walked Lamont Calloway before Marcus Brown singled to left, scoring two. Tyler Mischel singled in another before Brown scored on a passed ball to even the score, 4-4. Andrew Garcia drove in the winning run with a two-out single to center.

Rusty Devitt pitched one perfect inning in relief of the eighth.

Rizzi went the distance to collect the win after allowing a season-high four earned runs off 12 hits.

Offensively, Chin led the Tigers with three hits and two RBIs. Nielsen and Kopacz each had two hits. Garcia and Englestad each had two hits to lead SCC.

Campbellsville (26-12, 7-6 MSC) will return to action Saturday to host a doubleheader against St. Catharine (28-16, 9-3 MSC) at 3:30 p.m. EDT.