WICHITA, Kan. – Newman University (5-2) took advantage of miscues by the Regis University baseball team (2-6) to take game one 8-2 before winning game two 6-5 in extra innings.
How It Happened | Game One: Regis began the game with back-to-back singles from sophomore
Marcus Salvato and junior
Coby Zimmerman. Senior
Mickey Meinhofer came to the plate after senior
Connor Rochon hit into a fielders' choice to place runners on the corners. Meinhofer skied a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring M. Salvato and giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Newman University recorded the next run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. They went on to take the lead, 2-1, scoring two runs on one hit and one error. The Jets extended their advantage with two more run on three hits in the fifth.
RU was held scoreless through a four-inning stretch in which they tallied four hits. They left five runners stranded through the scoring drought before adding a second run to their total in the sixth inning.
Newman countered with four runs of their own in the bottom frame, securing an 8-2 game one victory.
Game Notes | Game One: Regis recorded nine total hits but left nine runners on the path. Newman tallied 10 hits and left seven runners stranded.
M. Salvato (2-4, 1 RBI) and Zimmerman (2-4), hitting in the one and two holes respectively, were the two Rangers with multiple hits. M. Salvato and senior
Logan Heflebower (1-3, 1 2B) scored the two RU runs.
Rochon led the Regis defense with 10 putouts. Junior
Cobe Karhoff (0-2) got the start and the loss in game one. Karhoff allowed three runs, two unearned and one earned, on four hits in 4.1 innings of work.
How It Happened | Game Two: Regis found themselves in a 2-0 hole following the first inning. The Jets scored their two runs on three hits and an error.
In the top of the second, junior
Kennedy Phillips doubled down the left-field line before advancing to third base on a passed ball. A throwing error by the Jets' shortstop allowed Phillips to cross home safely and cut the Rangers' deficit in half, 1-2.
Sophomore
Colin King, the Rangers' starting pitcher, made quick work of the second inning as he retired the Jets 1-2-3. Following the short defensive outing, RU added two runs to take their first lead of game two.
M. Salvato got things going in the top of the third with a lead-off walk. Regis had one out and two runners in scoring position after a double to left-center off the bat of Rochon. Salvato and Rochon both came around to score, giving the Rangers a 3-2 advantage.
RU turned their second double-play of the game to get themselves out of the third inning without surrendering a run. They proceeded to extend their lead to 5-2 when Zimmerman hit a two-out, two-RBI double to left field in the fourth inning. Zimmerman's third hit of the series and first of the game, scored M. Salvato and freshman
Miguel Marquez.
The Jets recorded two hits and took advantage of a Regis error to score a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The score held at 5-3, in favor of the Rangers, until the last frame of the game. With two-outs of life left, Newman hit a two-run home run to tie the game at five. The Jets placed two more runners on base and threatened to score the walk-off run, but RU forced extra innings.
The first three Regis batters due-up in the eighth all struck-out swinging, and Newman went on to score the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Game Notes | Game Two: As a team, the Rangers totaled seven hits and were led by Rochon (2-4, 1 2B) with a team-high two hits. Zimmerman (1-4, 2 RBI, 1 2B) and Phillips (1-4, 1 2B) also recorded doubles.
The Jets had 10 hits and held the error advantage, 1-3.
Junior
Kendrick Catron (1-1) was given the loss after allowing one run on one hit in 0.2 innings of work. King went 5.0 innings as the starter, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits.
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University baseball team will look to get their first win of the series with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow, February 23.
