BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — CIU baseball outlasted Bluefield (Va.) in a wild Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener Friday night, scoring in the 10th inning to secure a 12-11 victory at Bowen Field. The win marks the Rams' third straight victory.

CIU jumped out to an early advantage, plating two runs in the first inning before erupting for four more in the second. Junior first baseman Corbin Wright delivered a run-scoring double in the opening frame, and sophomore center fielder Ian D'Amico added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

In the second, the Rams strung together five hits, highlighted by a two-run single from sophomore second baseman Eli Musgraves and RBI singles from junior infielder Daniel Sidoti and Wright to extend the lead to 6-0.

Bluefield gradually chipped away and eventually surged ahead, taking a 10-7 lead after six innings and pushing the margin to 11-9 in the seventh.

CIU answered again in the eighth. Sidoti doubled down the left-field line to score Musgraves, and freshman third baseman Aaron Guthrie later tied the game with a sacrifice fly that plated Sidoti.

After a scoreless ninth, the Rams broke through in the 10th. Senior infielder Hunter Cheslak led off with a single, and after Quinn Jackson entered as a pinch runner and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by D'Amico, senior outfielder Aiden Pomnitz reached on an infield error that allowed Jackson to score the go-ahead run.

Senior right-hander Collin Otte shut the door in the bottom half, striking out the side around a walk to secure the win. Otte tossed three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out six.

Offensively, CIU finished with 17 hits, fourth most in a game in program history. Wright led the way with three hits and three RBI, while Musgraves added two hits and two RBIs. Sidoti recorded two hits and drove in two runs, and senior utility player Jennings Greene chipped in three hits.

CIU continues its AAC series with Bluefield on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.