No. 4 IU Kokomo upsets No. 1 Point Park to highlight Day 2 of RSC Baseball Championship

Updated Bracket

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- The second day of the River States Conference Baseball Championship saw the field trimmed to six following a pair of elimination games, while IU Southeast (Ind.) and IU Kokomo (Ind.) remained undefeated at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

No. 6 WVU Tech staved alive and eliminated No. 7 Rio Grande (Ohio) with a 10-3 victory in the opener before No. 5 Oakland City (Ind.) eliminated No. 8 Ohio Christian after winning a 17-5 decision.

In the first two games featuring the remaining four undefeated teams, No. 2 IU Southeast (Ind.) sent No. 3 Shawnee State (Ohio) to the consolation side of the bracket after posting a 7-3 victory.

Then, in the nightcap, No. 4 IU Kokomo (Ind.) pulled the tournament's first upset and picked up a thrilling 11-8 victory over No. 1 Point Park (Pa.), sending the top seed to the consolation side of the bracket.

No. 6 WVU Tech 10, No. 7 Rio Grande 3 – Rio Grande Eliminated

Behind a strong pitching performance from the Pitcher of the Year, Robert Kelley, the Golden Bears (28-21) staved off elimination with a 10-3 victory. Meanwhile, the RedStorm finish the season with a 20-31 record overall.

Kelley, a right-hander from Vienna, Va., allowed a run on three hits in the opening stanza but settled in after that. He improved to 10-2 on the season after allowing two runs on nine hits in his seven innings of work. Kelly also fanned nine, bringing his season total to 120.

He got plenty of help from his offense that scored 10 runs on 12 hits. Noah Cummings broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run blast – one of three home runs on the day for the Golden Bears. They would eventually put the game away following a five-run eighth inning.

Francesco Calderon led the way for WVU Tech going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Logan Stump added two hits and three RBIs, while Tyler Wilkinson drove in three and hit a two-run home run in the five run eighth.

For the RedStorm, Beiker Fuentes, Angel Cruz, Likeiry Jimenez, and Waskar Martinez led the way with two hits apiece.

No. 5 Oakland City 17, No. 8 Ohio Christian 5 – Ohio Christian Eliminated

As they did in their tournament opener on Thursday, the Mighty Oaks (39-15) got off to a hot start jumping out to a 14-1 lead after four innings en route to the 17-5 victory. The loss ends the season for the Trailblazers finishing at 13-32 overall.

Oakland City's 17 runs came on 18 hits with seven players finishing with at least two hits in the win. Xander Willis and Noah Baugher led the way with three hits apiece. Willis went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs, while Baugher went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double and three runs scored.

Leyton Ivers added two hits, a home run, two RBIs, and two runs, while Fred Fernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs. Meanwhile, Aron Busick, Oliver Hamilton, and Sam Pinckert each carded two hits apiece in the win for the Mighty Oaks.

For the Trailblazers, Connor Mathis went 2-for-3, while Carter Smith and Benjamin Sterritt recorded two hits and a run. Ohio Christian also hit a pair of home runs with Andrew Keener hitting a solo shot in the fifth and Spencer Crane hitting a three-run home run in the seventh.

Gehrig Tenhumberg got the start for the Mighty Oaks and turned in a solid performance. The right-hander improved to 8-2 on the year after allowing five runs – four earned – with nine strikeouts in his seven innings of work.

No. 2 IU Southeast 7, No. 3 Shawnee State 3

After neither team scored in the opening three innings, the Grenadiers (31-17) would score in the next four innings on their way to a 7-3 victory handing Shawnee State (26-20) their first loss of the tournament.

Kody Putnam broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with a solo home run, but the Bears quickly tied the game in the top of the fifth following an RBI single by Noah Sniadach. The Grenadiers would regain control scoring two runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.

Mason White, the RSC Player of the Year, had an RBI double and Luke Powell had an RBI single in the fifth putting the Grenadiers ahead for good. Brayden Hazelwood then blasted a two-run home run in the sixth before Trevor Goodwin made it 7-1 with an RBI single in the seventh.

The Bears attempted to rally in the ninth getting an RBI double from Nolas Tressler and an RBI single from Zach Gaspar, but their rally ultimately fell short with IU Southeast hanging on for the win.

Picking up the win for the Grenadiers was Luke Schafer, who improved to 8-3 on the year. He tossed five innings allowing one run on four hits with eight punchouts.

No. 4 IU Kokomo 11, No. 1 Point Park 8

In what was the game of the tournament thus far, the Cougars (32-19) pulled the first upset and handed the Pioneers their first loss of the RSC Baseball Championship. IU Kokomo held an 8-3 lead after the fourth but would be forced to hold off a furious rally by the Pioneers.

The Cougars hit three home runs between the third and fourth innings. Alex Janke opened the third with a solo shot before Jacob Medvescek later added a two-run home run. Then in the fourth, Jack Leverenz blasted a three-run bomb giving his team an 8-3 lead. The homer by Leverenz came following a lightning delay that lasted nearly an hour and half.

The Pioneers (37-13) would later answer, cutting the deficit to 9-8 after Isaac Santana hit a three-run home run in the sixth followed by an RBI single from Omar Morillo in the seventh.

IU Kokomo added two more runs in the top of the ninth highlighted by an RBI double by Dylan Steele to gain some breathing room, but Point Park once again threatened in the bottom half.

Point Park – who stranded 15 baserunners in the game – stranded two in the seventh and left them loaded in the eighth before stranding two more in the ninth as IU Kokomo held on for the 11-8 victory.

On the bump, Logan Greer got the win for the Cougars improving to 5-3, while Blake Kimball – who started their tournament opener on Thursday – nailed down his second save of the season. Brandon Bultemeier, Victor Fujiu, and Asa Christie, meanwhile, combined to toss 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Day 3 Schedule

The third day of the RSC Baseball Championship begins with a pair of elimination games. The first features Shawnee State taking on WVU Tech at 9 a.m. ET with the winner taking on IU Southeast at 4 p.m. ET. Then at 12:30 p.m. ET, Point Park takes on Oakland City with the winner taking on IU Kokomo at 7:30 p.m. ET.