COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU baseball delivered an offensive explosion on Tuesday afternoon, rolling past Voorhees University 18-4 at home, while also marking the 800th career win for head coach Rocke Musgraves. The Rams jumped on the Tigers early and never looked back, plating 10 runs through the first two innings to take complete control of the contest.
CIU 18 Voorhees 4: CIU wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs on six hits. RBI contributions from Daniel Sidoti, Aiden Pomnitz, Hunter Cheslak, and Maddux Smith highlighted the inning, while aggressive baserunning and defensive miscues from Voorhees helped extend the rally. The Rams followed it up with another five-run inning in the second, capitalizing on walks, errors, and timely hitting to stretch the lead to 10-0.
CIU continued to apply pressure in the middle innings, adding three more runs in the fourth. The rally was sparked by an RBI single from Aaron Guthrie, followed by run-producing at-bats from Ethan Hynicka and Ian D'Amico to extend the lead to 13-0. In the fifth, Kaleb Robor delivered a key RBI, while Gavin Creede added another with a bases-loaded walk as CIU pushed the margin even further out of reach. CIU tacked on one final run in the sixth inning after Chance Weathersbee led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Robor.
On the mound, JT Stanley earned the win with a strong start, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. The bullpen combined to finish the game, with Gabrial Rottier, Austin Trapp, Chase Denton, and Trevor Merck each contributing innings to secure the victory.
Offensively, the Rams totaled 16 hits and 11 walks in the game. Maddux Smith led the way with two hits and an RBI, while Hunter Cheslak added two hits and two RBIs. Ethan Hynicka and Ian D'Amico each drove in a pair, and Chance Weathersbee provided a spark behind the plate with two extra-base hits, including a double.
Up Next: CIU heads to the upstate to take on Spartanburg Methodist College on Thursday, April 2, with a doubleheader starting at 1 P.M. EST.
