No. 20 Point Park pounds 6 HRs to take series at IU Kokomo with 17-6 victory

KOKOMO, Ind. -- No. 20-ranked Point Park University smashed six home runs to pound Indiana University Kokomo, 17-6, in the final game of the River States Conference baseball series on Sunday. 

The Pioneers (8-7, 2-1 RSC) won the series two games to one thanks to the victory. The game ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule. The Pioneers had their 17 runs come on 14 hits.

Point Park scored 15 runs its first four times at bat. That included five runs each in the second and third innings. The Pioneers were up 15-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth. 

Isaac Santana was 3 for 4 with two homers, four RBIs, four runs and a walk. He homered four times in the series with two in Saturday's doubleheader and two more on Sunday. 

Luis Gonzalez also had a huge game going 2 for 4 with a homer, double and four RBIs. 

Jared Campbell homered, drove in two, scored twice and walked twice. Other home runs came from Crixtian Taveras and Carlos Martinez. Martinez had a pair of hits, runs and RBIs. 

Point Park took advantage of nine walks and made the Cougars (9-11, 1-2 RSC) pay with big hits. Point Park had nine of its 14 hits go for extra bases. 

Santana smashed a two-run bomb for a 2-0 lead in the first. 

The five-run second inning had two runs walked in, another score on a wild pitch and two more come in on Gonzalez's RBI double. 

The third inning had two-run homers by both Taveras and Gonzalez with an RBI base hit by Chris Williams in between. 

And just as they did on Saturday, Campbell and Santana hit back to back homers in the fourth. Campbell's was with a man on. 

IU Kokomo got as close as 15-6 with some runs in the middle innings. But Martinez's two-run shot in the seventh bumped the lead back up to 12 to make sure of the mercy rule. 

John Hawley (2-2) won his second start of the week going 4.0 innings for the Pioneers. He gave up just three hits. Ethan Parker earned the save in 3.0 innings to close out the game. He gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks. 

Point Park is off until week two of the RSC schedule, which features a trip to conference newcomer Indiana University Purdue University Columbus. The three-game set is scheduled for next Friday-Saturday, March 8-9.