BLUEFIELD, Va. - On Saturday, CIU Baseball completed a doubleheader sweep of Bluefield University to take the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series, marking the Rams' first sweep of the season. The team came alive late in game two and early in game three, putting together big innings to secure wins of 7-3 and 9-3. The sweep extends CIU's win streak to five games and improves the Rams to .500 in conference play (6-6).
Game Two: CIU 7 BU 3: CIU was held scoreless through the first six innings as Bluefield built a 3-0 lead, scoring in the second, third, and sixth. The Rams' offense came alive in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on a two-RBI double by Daniel Sidoti and an RBI single by Corbin Wright to take the lead. CIU kept the momentum going in the ninth, adding three more runs on RBI hits by Aaron Guthrie, Jennings Greene, and Chance Weathersbee, turning a one-run edge into a 7-3 advantage.
Wright, Guthrie, and Greene each recorded two hits, while Sidoti tallied three RBI. Matthew Garris (3-4) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.0 innings with a strikeout and three hits allowed, and Collin Otte notched his second save of the season, shutting down the final three innings without allowing a hit.
Game Three: CIU 9 BU 3: Sidoti gave the Rams an early 1-0 lead with a first-inning homer, and CIU added four more runs in the third on RBI hits from Sidoti, Ian D'Amico, and Jennings Greene. Bluefield scored one in the bottom of the third, but CIU responded with three in the fourth following RBI doubles from Corbin Wright and Aiden Pomnitz. A run in the fourth brought Bluefield closer, and CIU matched it in the fifth to extend the lead to 9-2. Another run in the sixth cut the deficit, but Grayden Ross held Bluefield scoreless in the seventh to secure the conference sweep.
Wright led the team with three hits, while Sidoti, D'Amico, and Greene each recorded two. Manuel Geisel earned his second win of the season, striking out five over 6.0 innings.Â
Up Next: CIU heads to Barbourville, Ky., next weekend, March 13-14, to take on Union Commonwealth (Ky.) in another AAC series.
