COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU baseball closed out their series against St. Andrews (S.C.) on Saturday afternoon and took the lead in both games of the doubleheader. The Rams could not maintain this lead in game two of the series, but they rallied in the sixth inning of game three to pick up their 6th Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) win of the season. They are now 11-24 overall and 6-12 in conference play. 

Game Two: SAU 8 CIU 5: The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and held the Rams hitless until the fourth. After two errors and a walk, Shane Hammonds and Emmanuel Maldonado recorded back-to-back hits to give CIU the 4-1 lead. The advantage was shortlived as St. Andrews responded with five hits to score five runs and regain a 6-4 lead. The Knights tacked on another in the sixth and threatened in the seventh, but a Colton Lopez double play ended the threat. St. Andrews pushed across another in the top of the ninth, while the Rams only got two runners on after the fourth inning. CIU trailed 8-4 heading into the bottom of the final inning. Hammonds and Maldonado hit back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth, and an error advanced them into scoring position. A sac fly from Collin Greer scored one run to chip away at the lead, but a groundout and popout ended the game in favor of the Knights. 

Box Score Highlights: 

• Hammonds and Maldonado led the team with two hits each, combining for four hits out of the teams' five. 

• Kai Smith recorded the other hits for the Rams. 

• The Rams' defense turned two double plays to avoid jams from St. Andrews' offense. 

Game Three: CIU 4 SAU 2: St. Andrews' lead-off batter took first base off of a walk, but Tanner Martinez caught the runner stealing to clear the bases to prevent further damage. Greer led off the third with a single and came around to score off an RBI double from Tanner Martinez to give the Rams their first lead of the contest. The Knights answered in the fifth with a two-run homer to take the 2-1 lead. The Rams took the lead in the bottom of the sixth after scoring three runs with RBI from Scott McDonough, Hammonds, and Greer (4-2). Collin Otte entered the game and sat down the side to secure CIU's victory. 

Box Score Highlights: 

• Greer led the team with two hits, with four different Rams' recording an RBI. 

• Deric Hanko picked up the win with five strikeouts to improve his record to 2-2. 

• Otte recorded his third save of the season with two strikeouts in 1.0 innings. 

Up Next: The Rams host Voorhees College (S.C.) on Tuesday, April 2, at 4 p.m. EST.