Box Score

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Tiger Baseball picked up its sixth straight win and clinched their spot in the Mid-South Conference Tournament this evening with a 4-3 win over University of Rio Grande.

BOX SCORE

Campbellsville (22-14, 11-7 MSC) led 4-0 going into the ninth inning but Rio Grande made it interesting, picking up four consecutive hits and scoring three runs.
 

CU starter Brett DeRooy (5-3) pitched like the ace that he is. The two-time MSC Pitcher of the Week went 8 2/3 innings, striking out a career-high 12 batters. His 130-pitch night ended after Rio Grande picked up four consecutive hits and scored two runs.

 

TR Dunne came in to relieve DeRooy and surrendered a seeing-eye single and Rio scored a run off a Tiger error, cutting the CU lead to 4-3. But Dunne came back and struck out three-hitter, Marcus Makuch to end Rio's chance of the comeback victory.

 

The RedStorm (17-23, 4-15 MSC) came out hot in the first inning but DeRooy struck out two batters with one out and runners on first and second to end the rally. That was the final time Rio Grande would get a runner past first base until the final inning. 

 

The bottom half of the lineup for URG picked up five hits in six at bats in the final inning with the biggest and possibly the most costly coming from Luis Jimenez. The freshman shortstop drove a ball deep into right center field, scoring teammates Chris Ford and Kirk Yates. But with the score now 4-2, Jimenez tried to extend the easy double into a triple and was thrown out on the relay throw from Gentry Kinsella.
 

Jimenez could have scored on the next single by Daryin Lewis or would have definitely scored on a single by Kevin Arroyo two batters later. But none the less, the youngster's base running mistake cost his team in the final inning. 

 

The Tigers' offense was spread out through the nine-inning game. CU picked up single runs in the second, third, fifth and eighth inning to preserve the victory. But looking back after Rio Grande cut the lead to 4-3, the biggest RBI of them all came from back-up catcher Steve Ferraro in the eighth inning to give the Tigers an insurance run to lead 4-0. 

 

Ferraro came in to pinch-hit for Alex Scanlan and delivered an RBI single to left-center field, scoring pinch runner Levi McCamish from second base for what proved to be the game-winning run.

 

Alex Kline led the offensive charge for the Tigers, going 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Carlos Torres also picked up multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored in the third inning.

 

Dunne recorded his second save of the year to tie the team lead with Allen Hewey.

 

Rio Grande starter Mike Dietsch (2-5) dropped the heartbreaker, as he lost command and velocity down the stretch. He finished with eight innings pitched, giving up four earned runs on eight hits. He also struck out five CU batters.

 

Campbellsville continues to be tied with Shawnee State for second place in the MSC with 11-7 conference records. Cumberland University and St. Catharine College are both tied for third place in the conference with matching 11-8 records.

 

The Bulldogs swept University of Pikeville this weekend and St. Catharine, which won game one against Lindsey Wilson College (9-9 MSC), has a two-game set with the Blue Raiders tomorrow afternoon for a chance to uncork the tie with Cumberland University.

 

Rio Grande sits in dead last in the MSC with a 4-15 record and has now been eliminated from conference tournament hopes.

 

CU and Rio Grande will face off tomorrow for the series ending doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m. You can catch all the action, as Jordan Alves will have the call on 88.7 WLCU FM and WLCUFM.com

 

Possible pitching matchups:

Game one – Allen Hewey (4-1) vs. David Steele (4-4)

Game two – Chris Tuma (4-2) vs. Anthony Knittle (2-3)

 

To follow Tiger Baseball throughout the rest of the regular season and post season, check them out on Twitter - @CTigersBaseball and @CvilleTigers. Also on Facebook – Campbellsville Tigers.