Pioneers advance to championship round with shutout of IU Kokomo

2023 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 6 at 11:00 a.m. -- #2 Point Park vs. No. 3 IU Southeast
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- No. 2 seed Point Park University is on to the championship round of the River States Conference Baseball Championship after Saturday's 9-0 shutout of No. 4 IU Kokomo. 

The Pioneeres (34-15) won their second elimination game in as many days to get to the final two teams. It will be Point Park vs. No. 3 seed IU Southeast (33-18) in the championship round beginning Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET. The Pioneers will need two wins over the Grenadiers for the title. If necessary, a second championship game will be after. 

Sebastian Rodriguez threw 8.0 shutout innings to power the Pioneers to the shutout of IU Kokomo (28-21). The senior right-hander struck out six, walked one and scattered six hits in his outing. He cruised for much of the performance staying in control and keeping the Cougars at bay.

Point Park scored in five different innings and got off to a great start with Michali Brito's three-run homer in the bottom of the first. The Pioneers out-hit the Cougars, 12-6, with the big hits continuing with Jared Campbell's RBI double in the fourth.

The Pioneers got five runs off IU Kokomo starter J.T. Holton, who threw 5.0 innings. The Pioneers added four more runs in the later innings with Jordon Campbell getting an RBI triple and Isaac Santana an RBI single in the seventh. The eighth had two more runs tacked on with Cole Wajda delivering a pinch hit single for an RBI and Jared Campbell smashing a deep sacrifice fly. 

There were nine different Point Park players with a hit. Jordon Campbell was 2 for 3 with two runs, a walk and his triple. Michali Brito had two hits and three RBIs. Eddie Javier, Jr. continued his hot weekend at 2 for 3.

Rodriguez completed his outing retiring 10 of the last 12 batters he faced. He picked up a strikeout to end the fifth and leave strand  two runners to keep the shutout going at 4-0. After retiring the side in order in the sixth, a hit by pitch in the seventh and a walk in the eighth was all the Cougars got from there. 

The win for Rodriguez improved him to 7-2 on the year. He has won his last three starts but was mainly used as a reliever before that with five saves on the year. 

Joathan Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to keep the shutout intact. It was the second game in a row he closed out after a Point Park started went 8.0 strong. The Pioneers have lined up back to back starting pitching performances from Javier Cardoso (8.0 IP, 1 R) and Rodriguez (8.0 IP, 0 R) to get them out of the loser's bracket. 

It will be the third year in a row and the fourth time in the last five conference tournaments that Point Park and IU Southeast meet in the RSC Championship finals. The teams met in 2022, 2021 and 2018 as well. There was not RSC postseason in 2020. 

The winner will advance to the NAIA National Championship next week. Midway has earned the RSC's other NAIA national bid as the RSC regular-season champion.