COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU baseball secured its first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series win of the season Saturday with a pair of victories over Bryan College (Tenn.). The Rams exploded for 19 runs in the opener before finishing the day with a 10-1 win in the finale. Both teams combined for 69 runs over the three game stretch with 29 coming from CIU's offense this afternoon to pick up the doubleheader sweep.
Game Two: CIU 19 Bryan 11: CIU struck first with two runs in the second inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues before adding three more in the third. Daniel Sidoti drove in a run with a single to center, Corbin Wright followed with an RBI groundout, and Ian D'Amico added an RBI to give the Rams a 5-0 advantage. Bryan answered with a six-run fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead, powered by a pair of home runs. However, the Rams responded immediately. In the fifth, Jennings Greene delivered an RBI single and Kai Smith followed with a two-run double to reclaim the lead at 8-6.
The game tightened again in the sixth when Bryan tied it at 8-8, but CIU broke it open in the bottom half. Aiden Pomnitz started the rally with an RBI double before Aaron Guthrie roped a two-run double to left. Sidoti capped the inning with a two-RBI double, part of a six-run frame that pushed the Rams ahead 14-10. CIU added insurance in the eighth, scoring five more runs. Sidoti continued his big day with another two-RBI double, while Wright and Greene each added RBI hits to extend the lead to 19-10.
Sidoti finished 4-for-5 with five RBI and three doubles to pace the offense. Greene went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Smith added three hits and two RBI, and the Rams had six players record multi-hit games. On the mound, Collin Otte earned the win in relief, throwing four innings and allowing three runs while striking out three.
Game Three: CIU 11 Bryan 1: CIU wasted no time setting the tone, scoring five runs in the first inning. After Smith singled to open the frame, Sidoti and Wright helped spark the rally before D'Amico delivered an RBI double. Hunter Cheslak and Greene each drove in runs as the Rams capitalized on wild pitches and timely hitting to build a 5-0 lead. The Rams added three more runs in the second inning. Wright and D'Amico each recorded RBI singles, and Pomnitz brought in another run on a fielder's choice to extend the advantage to 8-0. Bryan managed its lone run in the fifth, but CIU responded in the sixth with two insurance runs. Smith and E. Musgraves each delivered RBI singles to push the lead to 10-1.
Smith led the team with three hits to surpass 100 career hits, while D'Amico went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Sidoti and Wright each added two hits as CIU totaled 13 hits on the night. On the mound, Manuel Geisel turned in a complete-game performance, allowing just two hits and one run over seven innings while striking out four.
Up Next: CIU is on the road next weekend, March 6-7, to take on Bluefield University (Va.) in another AAC series.
