WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Point Park opened its annual southern trip with a split on Friday in Winter Haven, Florida. In a 9 a.m. matchup against Barry, the Pioneers used a complete game, two-hitter from
Ramon Rodriguez to pick up a 1-0 win. Later in the afternoon, Malone used an 11
th-inning home run to close out the 9-8 win in extra innings.
Game 1
In Rodriguez's pitching gem, he allowed just two hits while striking out 10 batters. He didn't record a walk and both Barry hits were singles.
The game remained 0-0 until the top of the eighth. With two outs in the inning,
Trevor Jones doubled to left field to get into scoring position for the Pioneers.
Luis Gonzalez manufactured the game-winning run on an RBI single to shallow right field to score Jones from second.
In all, Point Park recorded four hits in the game, three of which came off the bat of Jones hitting in the two spot. Jones also had a stolen base in the game.
Barry used three pitchers in the game, with starter Mason Blocker working five innings and strikeout out five. Kyle Fernandes, who surrendered the only run in the game to record the loss, pitched three innings and recorded five strikeouts. Dalton Williams pitched the ninth for Barry.
Game 2
Against Malone in extra innings, Point Park opened up an 8-2 lead after three innings of play.
In the second with two runners on,
Felix Gonzalez doubled to bring home
JonAlan Richardson and
Blake Ewing. Sabastian Hernandez and Gonzalez both scored on a passed ball later in the inning to make the score 4-0.
After Malone got two runs back in the top of the third, the Pioneers again plated four runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Blake Ewing got the scoring started with a two-RBI single to bring home
Felix Rodriguez and
Luis Gonzalez, making it 6-2.
Franklin Gomez Jr. scored the seventh run of the game for PPU on a wild pitch with the based loaded.
Then on a fielder's choice by
Felix Gonzalez, Richardson came home to make the score 8-2 in favor of PPU.
From that point, Malone scored five runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth to tie the score at 8-8.
The score remained the same until Colin Coblentz's solo home run to lead off the 11
th inning, which went on to be the game-winner.
Point Park returns to Chain of Lakes Park on Saturday for a 10 a.m. doubleheader against Saint Michael's College (Vermont).
