Point Park wins three games on Sunday to capture RSC Baseball Championship once again

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Playing three games in one day is an impressive feat, but winning three games in one day is an even far greater accomplishment and on Sunday, No. 1 Point Park (Pa.) was up to that challenge winning three consecutive games to win their second straight River States Conference Baseball Championship.

The Pioneers clinched their spot in the championship final after sweeping the doubleheader against No. 4 IU Kokomo (Ind.) earlier in the day. They won the opener 11-1 to force the 'if necessary' game that they would win by a final score of 14-3.

By way of sweeping the two games against IU Kokomo and reaching the championship final, the Pioneers locked up the RSC's second automatic berth to the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round.

Then came the matter of completing the herculean effort of winning three games in one day to win their second straight RSC Championship. After having about four hours to eat and get off their feet, the Pioneers returned to VA Memorial Stadium to meet No. 2 IU Southeast (Ind.) – the fourth consecutive season the two teams have met in the finals.

The Pioneers trailed 8-7 entering the ninth, but they would put up three in the top half of the inning before holding the Grenadiers scoreless in the bottom half clinching their second straight RSC Championship.

Both the Pioneers and the Grenadiers will now wait to see where they're sent for the national tournament. The NAIA Baseball National Championship Selection Show is scheduled for Thursday, May 9, at 5 p.m. ET.

Point Park (41-13), who eclipsed the 40-win mark on Sunday after going 3-0 on the tournament's final day, got a terrific pitching performance from Ramon Rodriguez in the opener against IU Kokomo. The right-hander, who picked up the win in their tournament opener, turned in a complete game performance allowing one run on eight hits with nine strikeouts.

Rodriguez got plenty of help from his offense that put up 11 runs on nine hits. Isaac Santana hit a pair of home runs going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Omar Morillo and Chris Williams added two hits and three RBIs.

Then, in the 'if necessary' contest, Point Park got yet another pitching performance, this time from Javier Cardoso II who made his second appearance in three days. Cardoso nearly tossed a complete game, going 8.2 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with a pair of strikeouts.

The Pioneer offense was equally impressive scoring 14 on 18 hits. They scored eight in the fourth and six in the seventh. Morillo and Jared Campbell had three hits apiece to lead the way, while five others had two hits each.

Those two wins set the table for what would be another instant classic between familiar foes battling it out for the right to be named conference champions. With very little pitching left for either squad, the offenses took center stage combining for 18 runs on 28 hits.

Jordon Campbell gave the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the top of the second, but the Grenadiers answered right back in the bottom half, tying the game thanks to an RBI single from the RSC Player of the Year, Mason White.

Point Park regained the lead in the top of the third when Chris Williams, the RSC Freshman of the Year, hit an RBI double making the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors. Just as they did in the previous inning, IU Southeast answered. This time it was Trevor Goodwin, who clubbed a two-run home run that gave IUS their first lead of the contest at 3-2 heading to the fourth.

The Pioneers seemed to take control of the game after scoring four in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 7-3 edge. Jordon Campbell hit his second homer of the ballgame with a two-run shot before Morillo followed with a solo home run two batters later. Eddie Javier Jr. then capped the four-run fourth with an RBI single making the score 6-3.

The run in the fifth came from Jared Campbell, who pushed the lead to 7-3 after reaching on a fielder's choice that scored Jordon Campbell, who doubled to open the inning.

The Grenadiers got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Goodwin hit an RBI single, but they would leave two on in the fifth and sixth innings. Fortunately for IU Southeast, the deficit stayed at 7-4 thanks to the effort of Garrett Hill out of the bullpen.

Hill gave his team a chance after scattering four hits over 3.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. The Grenadier offense, which left 10 runners on through the first six innings, broke through in the seventh scoring four runs on three hits to regain an 8-7 lead.

The first two batters of the inning had been hit by pitch and the third was walked to load the bases with no outs. Joathan Rivera was then called upon out of the bullpen and got back-to-back strikeouts as the bases remained loaded with two outs.

Mason White then hit an RBI single, and Luke Powell followed with a two-run single to tie the game before Kody Putnam gave his squad an 8-7 lead after hitting an RBI single to left field.

The lead remained in tact until ninth when the Pioneers rallied after missing out on numerous opportunities throughout the game. They had left 13 runners on through the first eight innings, which included leaving them loaded in the fourth and fifth innings.

Carlos Martinez opened the ninth with a leadoff double before Morillo hit a single that took an odd bounce on the turf mound. The ball ricocheted to the second baseman, who threw it away in an effort to get Morillo at first. The error allowed Martinez to score and tie the game.

Powell, who started the inning in relief, then got a big strikeout of Jared Campbell for the first out bringing the ever-dangerous Isaac Santana to the plate. Santana had reached in his previous five plate appearances that included two hits, two hit by pitches, and a walk.

Santana turned on the first pitch he saw and sent it well beyond the right field fence into the night sky at VA Memorial Stadium. The two-run shot was his fifth of the tournament and 20th of the season.

Now with the lead, Rivera went back out in the ninth to close the door. The right hander did just that, allowing just one base runner on a one out walk before getting a lineout and groundout to send the Pioneer ballclub into a frenzy after winning their second straight RSC Championship.

Rivera would pick up the win in relief after stepping up big for a Pioneer team that had very little pitching left entering the title matchup. He pitched three innings and allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts.

Santana and Jordon Campbell led the way with three hits apiece while combining for five RBIs and four runs scored. Morillo and Williams each finished with two hits in the win.

For the Grenadiers, White went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, while Putnam added a three-hit performance with an RBI and two runs. Goodwin carded two hits and drove in three, while Slater Schield added two hits.

Luke Powell, meanwhile, suffered the loss for the Grenadiers, who fell to 32-18 with the loss.