FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Rockford University baseball team fell 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning today to the Bluffton University Beavers. Monday's game opened as pitchers' duel with both starters,
Paul Turelli and Riley Reyna, tossing shutouts into the fifth. However, both teams had plenty of opportunities to score throughout the game, as the Regents left 13 runners on base and the Beavers stranded 12. Rockford left the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth, while Bluffton did the same in the seventh. Despite all that, Rockford was able to take a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, thanks in large part to a pinch-hit, two-run, two-out single off the bat of
Enrique Melendez Jr. in the seventh. Unfortunately, the Beavers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, including a walk-off RBI single by Evan Houseman, for the victory.
- Rockford starting pitcher Paul Turelli and Bluffton starter Riley Reyna were dominant through the first four innings of the game. Neither pitcher allowed a run through four innings and Tuelli exited the game without surrendering a hit, while Reyna had allowed just three hits.
- The Regents were finally able to break the scoreless tie with an unearned run in the fifth. Nate Burdin got things started with a one-out single and would later score off a Beaver error, to put the Regents out in front 1-0.
- Bluffton answered right back with an unearned run of its own in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 1-1.
- Following a scoreless sixth, Rockford retook the lead with a two-run top of the seventh. The Regents loaded the bases on two-out singles by Kadin Bergstrom and Jared Herzog and Zach Fabis walk. Enrique Melendez Jr. followed with a clutch two-out, two-run, pinch-hit single into left center, scoring Bergstrom and Fabis and putting the Regents out in front 3-1.
- The Beavers again responded with a run in home half of the inning to trim the Regent lead down to 3-2. Bluffton used two hits and a hit batsman to scratch across its run.
- Neither team was able to get much going offensively over the next 1.5 innings, as the score remained unchanged entering the bottom of the ninth.
- Unfortunately, the Beavers scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth off four hits, including a walk-off RBI single by Evan Houseman, to secure the 4-3 win.
- Paul Turelli threw 4 shutout innings and did not allow a hit. He also struck a season-high 7 batters.
- Alex Easton went 4 innings in relief. Easton allowed 1 earned run off 5 hits and struck out 3.
- Zach Fabis finished 2-for-3 with 2 walks, a double and a run scored.
- Enrique Melendez Jr. was 1-for-1 with 2 RBIs.
