COLUMBIA - CIU baseball made an impressive recovery after a grueling game two loss in their series with Montreat (N.C.) on Saturday to down the Cavaliers 5-3 in game three for the series win. The win is critical to the Ram's postseason chances as the victory vaults CIU into a two-way tie with Johnson University (Tenn.) in the tenth spot in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings. CIU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Royals, having defeated them in a series earlier in the season. Saturday's triumph puts the Rams at 14-25 overall and 8-13 in the AAC.
Game Two: MC 14 CIU 11 - CIU committed seven errors over the course of the nine-inning contest as Montreat led for the game's entirety. The Rams' largest offensive output came in the sixth as they entered the bottom of the inning trailing 9-4. The Rams began the onslaught with an RBI-double from James Lovera, followed by Collin Greer base on balls that plated Lovera. Pinch hitter Austin Paradise capped the four-run inning with a two-RBI single to bring the Ram's run total to eight and within just one run of the Cavaliers. CIU managed to scratch three more before the final out, but Montreat posted five runs themselves to stave off the Rams.
Box Score Notes:
- CIU chalked up 14 hits, their third straight game with double-digits in the category.
- Emmanual Maldonado shined as the right-fielder recorded four hits in five at-bats with an RBI.
- Lead-off man Lovera looked sharp, reaching base five times with three hits.
Game Three: CIU 5 MC 3: Deric Hanko gave up a home run in the game's first inning but bounced back almost immediately, picking up a strikeout to retire the side. In the bottom of the inning, the Rams added a run on a Scott McDonough single to right field, and another run came in on a Maldonado ground out, putting the Rams in front 2-1. CIU continued the scoring in the second frame as Shane Hammonds roped one to left-center batting in Trace Thompson and Kai Smith. The advantage held thanks to Hanko's work on the mound. CIU added an insurance run late on a passed ball as the Rams prevailed over the Cavaliers by two runs.
Box Score Notes:
- Aiden Pridgen was the only Ram with multiple hits as the Laurens native went 2-for-3 at the plate while making perhaps the season's catch of the year for the Rams in centerfield.
- Hanko was as reliable as ever, pitching a complete game, facing 28 batters, and tallying four strikeouts to earn the win.
What Coach Jonathan Johnson is saying: "This was a big series win for us. I was really pleased with the approaches and the at-bats we were able to grind out the entire weekend. We will continue working hard to fix the little things that are still needed for us to be a complete team, but this weekend was a big step in the right direction."
Up Next: The Rams travel to Toccoa Falls (Ga.) for a midweek battle with the Screaming Eagles on Tuesday, April. 9 with first pitch designated for 2:00 p.m. EST.
