Cougars Need Extra Innings to Earn Split With Rio Grande

(Johnson City, TN)-- For the second day in a row, the Cleary baseball team needed extra innings in a game, and each time they have come out on top, as the Cougars split with the Rio Grande Red Storm 10-6, and 8-5 on Sunday in Johnson City, Tennessee.

In Game 1:  Rio Grande would get on the scoreboard first when a wild pitch brought around the game's first run.  Cleary would take the lead in the bottom of the 3rd, when Aaron Dyke drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Derek Zavala.  Later in the inning, Nick Koan singled to left field, bringing home Jeremy VanOosterum and Spencer Jamieson to give Cleary a 3-1 lead.  The Red Storm responded in the next inning with 4 runs to take a 5-3 lead, but Anthony Lacle did his part to narrow the gap with a single, scoring Zavala to make it 5-4 through 4 innings. After no scores in the 5th inning, Rio Grande added 3 more runs in the top of the 6th to make it 8-4.  Ryan Kadoguchi would score in the bottom of the 6th when Zavala lined out to center field (sac. fly), and then Spencer Jamieson singled to score Kyle Miazgowicz, narrowing the deficit to 8-6.  Unfortunately, Rio Grande would add two more runs in the top of the 7th, and Cleary could not rally in the bottom of the inning, as the Cougars fell 10-6.
Lucas Withers got the start, going 3 innings and striking out 6, while allowing 4 runs (3 earned).  Kendall Flaugher took the loss, pitching 2 innings, and striking out 3 while allowing 2 runs.

In Game 2:  The teams switched home sides, and the Red Storm would strike first in the bottom of the 1st when they scored twice off Jeremy Fuchs to make it 2-0.  Cleary would respond over the next 4 innings, when Kyle Miazgowicz grounded out, but brought home Zach Hargis to make it 2-1, then Derek Zavala grounded out to bring home Ryan Kadoguchi to tie the game at 2-2.  In the 4th inning, Kendall Flaugher brought home Kadaguchi to make it 3-2 Cougars.  Rio Grande answered with an RBI single in the bottom half of the 4th, and the game would be tied at 3-3.  In the top of the 5th, Billy Flohr tripled down the right field line to score Anthony Lacle, and in the 6th, Jeremy VanOosterum brought home Miazgowicz on a sac. fly to make it 5-3.  Rio Grande once again answered in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game.  With no runs scored in the 7th inning by either team, extra innings were needed.  In the top of the 8th, Spencer Jamieson opened things up with a go ahead home run to right field, scoring Miazgowicz, and giving the Cougars the lead they would not relinquish.  Cleary added one more insurance run when VanOosterum scored after a failed pick-off attempt, and giving the Cougars an 8-5 victory.
Jeremy Fuchs went 5 innings on the mound, striking out 3, and allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits.  Colin Brazil earned the victory pitching the final 3 innings, allowing 0 runs, and striking out 2.

Cleary will be back in action next weekend when they make the trip to Pikeville, Kentucky to take on the Bears in a 4 game weekend series. Cleary will play:
Friday, February 11 at 2 and 5 PM
Saturday, February 12 at 12 and 3 PM