No. 23 Georgetown Routs Rio Grande

RIO GRANDE, Ohio – Martin Lemus had two hits, including a three-run home run, and drove in four runs, while Tyler Coker clubbed a grand slam home run to highlight a six-run fifth inning and lead No. 23 Georgetown College to a convincing 11-2 win over the University of Rio Grande, Friday afternoon, in Mid-South Conference baseball action at Bob Evans Field.

The Tigers, who banged out 15 hits as a team, improved to 18-4 overall and 7-3 in the MSC with the win.

Rio Grande, which suffered its third straight loss, slipped to 10-15 overall and 3-7 in league play.

Lemus’ home run – a one-out first inning blast over the center field fence – made it 3-0 and his sacrifice fly in the third inning extended the lead to 4-0.

The Tigers officially lowered the boom, though, with their six-run fifth inning uprising.

Trey Gross opened the inning with a walk and moved to third on a bunt single by Duran Elmore and a single to right-center by Justin Moore. That set the stage for Coker, who drilled his first longball of the season just over the outstretched glove of Rio Grande freshman right fielder Carlos Flores (Guayanilla, Puerto Rico).

Rio junior starter Ryan Christophel (Dayton, OH) was then lifted in favor of freshman reliever Trent Downs (Kingston, OH), who promptly walked Lemus and Rick Reyes with a pitch. A wild pitch and a throwing error plated Lemus and Reyes scored on a single to right-center by David Higuera.

Georgetown made it 11-0 in the seventh on consecutive singles by Reyes, Steven Mancilla, Higuera and Nick Kociolek, but the RedStorm avoided the early finish of a mercy rule by scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh.

Sophomore Kirk Yates (Chillicothe, OH) reached on a one-out error and scored on a double to left by junior Kevin Arroyo (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico). A single by sophomore Chris Ford (Athens, OH) moved Arroyo to third and a sacrifice fly to right by freshman Daulton Kenyon (West Portsmouth, OH) set the eventual final score.

Higuera finished 3-for-5, while Mancilla had two hits and Moore scored three times for Georgetown.

The Tigers also got another solid pitching effort from Tyler Arthur, who earned his fourth win in as many decisions, by scattering eight hits and two walks in a complete game effort. He also fanned six and both of the runs he allowed were unearned.

Arroyo had three of Rio Grande’s eight hits.

Christophel suffered his first loss in three decisions this season, allowing six hits and eight runs – seven of which were earned – in four-plus innings.

The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. The opener of the twinbill will be a nine-inning contest, while the second game will be a seven-inning affair.