Point Park baseball splits first two games of RSC series at IU Kokomo

KOKOMO, Ind. -- Point Park University baseball split the first two games of its River States Conference series at IU Kokomo on Saturday. The No. 20-ranked Pioneers lost the first game, 10-8, in a slugfest but rebounded to win the second game, 6-3. 

Point Park (7-7, 1-1 RSC) will go for the series win on Sunday versus the Cougars (9-9, 1-1 RSC) with first pitch at 12:00 p.m. ET at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. 

GAME 1: IU KOKOMO 10, POINT PARK 8

The Pioneers had early leads of 3-0 and 5-3, but IU Kokomo had a couple of big innings to stake a 10-5 lead through five innings.

Point Park had 16 hits in the game and made a late rally with two in the seventh and more in the eighth but could not catch up. 

Jared Campbell was 2 for 4 with a double and a homer and also two runs and two RBIs. Isaac Santana was 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs.

Campbell and Santana hit back to back home runs in the seventh to pull Point Park within 10-7. Omar Morillo's RBI double in the eighth got Point Park closer. 

Michali Brito and Crixtian Taveras were both 3 for 5 for the Pioneers. Chris Williams and Carlos Martinez each had a pair of hits. Carlos Burroughs had an RBI triple.

Point Park used five pitchers to combine on their 8.0 innings pitched in the road loss. They combined for 10 strikeouts and just two walks but also 13 hits. 

IU Kokomo also used five pitchers with Justin Bultemeier going 6.1 innings as the starter to get the win. Victor Fujiu was the fourth reliever and got the save in 2.0 scoreless innings to finish it out. 

GAME 2: POINT PARK 6, IU KOKOMO 3

Point Park never trailed in the nightcap to even the series. The Pioneers scored in five of the seven innings in the game that was scheduled for seven. 

The Pioneers out-hit the Cougars, 9-5, and had eight different players get a hit. Crixtian Taveras gave a great start with a solo homer in the second batter of the game. 

Omar Morillo was 2 for 4. Isaac Santana hit a two-run homer to pad the lead to 5-2 in the fifth.

IU Kokomo cut the lead to 5-3 with a single run in the last of the sixth. Point Park got that run back in the top of the seventh thanks to doubles by Eddie Javier Jr. and Carlos Burroughs. 

Ramon Rodriguez pitched the last 5.0 innings for Point Park to get the win. The sophomore lefty gave up only two hits and one run. He struck out four, walked none and retired the last five batters he faced after IUK scored in the sixth.

Four pitchers worked for the Cougars with none going more than 2.2 innings. Point Park took advantage of seven walks and struck out only twice.  IUK starter Ben Harris left with a 3-2 defict after a big double by Point Park's Chris Williams in the third.