PITTSBURGH -- Point Park University had some very exciting hits and gave up only two runs in 16 innings for a doubleheader sweep over IU Kokomo on Thursday. The Pioneers won both ends of the twinbill, 3-2 and 12-0, to take the first two games of the River States Conference series.
Luis Mujica's two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth lifted Point Park (14-12, 8-6 RSC) to the victory in Game 1. Starter Felix Castillo covered the first 6.0 innings, and Ryan Huber improved to 7-0 with three scoreless innings of relief to get the victory.
In the second game, the Pioneers erupted for 11 runs in the fifth inning on their way to the big win. The Pioneers' 13 hits in six times at bat supported winning pitcher Marco Quintanar (1-1), who went all 7.0 innings for a four-hit shutout in his first RSC start.
Point Park and first-place IU Kokomo (23-9, 11-3 RSC) finish the series with a single game on Friday with start time 12 p.m. at Point Park Field at Green Tree Park.
POINT PARK 3, IU KOKOMO 2
The Pioneers were knocking on the door from the fifth inning on and finally broke through for the win in the last of the ninth. Point Park left the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh and a runner aboard in the sixth and eighth as well.
Trailing, 2-1, pinch hitter Levi Martin led off the ninth with a walk. Later, Antonio Carrillo and Erik Montero delivered consecutive base hits with one out to load the bases. With two outs, Mujica lined a shot to right field, and Carrillo got in before the tag at the plate for the winning run.
IU Kokomo scored a single run in the first and was holding on to the slim lead until the Pioneers tied it up in the fifth, albeit without a hit. A walk and three straight hit batters knotted up the score.
After giving up the early run, Castillo retired 16 of 18 batters over the next five innings. He did not get into trouble again until Dalton Clarke went the opposite field for a solo homer and a 2-1 lead in the seventh.
The Pioneers finally got IU Kokomo starter Owen Callaghan out of the game in the fifth, and they had to work through three bullpen arms. They eventually did and ended up out-hitting IU Kokomo, 8-5.
Castillo gave up two runs and four hits in his 6.0 innings. That included seven strikeouts and no walks. Huber came on in relief in the seventh and gave up just one hit. He faced just one batter over the minimun with three zeroes put up on the scoreboard.
POINT PARK 12, IU KOKOMO 0
For the second game in a row, the Pioneers got to the IU Kokomo left-handed starter in the fifth inning, this time in a big way. Point Park sent 16 batters to the plate in the decisive inning, which included 11 runs, seven hits, four walks and two hit batters.
Three straight walks started the fifth to load the bases. Then Cole Horew smacked a two-run double, and Antonio Carrillo smashed a two-run single to push the lead to 5-0. Horew and Carrillo were both 3 for 4, and they both had two hits in the fifth inning alone.
Later on in the fifth, Alejandro Pelaez cleared the bases with a three-run triple. Then Yuri Sucart stroked his second RBI hit of the game to make it 10-0. Sucart had the only RBI before that, a base hit that made the score 1-0 in the third.
The Pioneers were holding on to that small lead until getting to Noah Richardson in the fifth. He gave up seven hits and six runs over 4.1 innings.
Meanwhile, Marco Quintanar kept the Cougars off balance in his complete-game. With only one strikeout, he let the defense work, and he walked only one. Quintanar got 12 fly outs among the 21 outs registered.
