Chillicothe, OH – After rain and thunder hit VA Memorial Stadium hard on Thursday night, the Mighty Oaks' first game of the River States Conference tournament was pushed back to Friday morning at 9 AM. The bats were hot for Oakland City as they beat Indiana University Kokomo in mercy-rule fashion.
In the first inning, Oakland City took a 4-0 lead.
Xander Willis reached base on a hit by pitch, he scored on a double from
Josh Russell.
Fred Fernandez drove in Russell with a single to left center to make it 2-0.
Hudson Allen reached first on an error by the pitcher, putting runners on the corners. Another Cougars error allowed
Keifer Wilson to reach first and Fernandez to score.
Dicky Gonzalez followed with a single to make it a four-run ballgame.
The Oaks offense stayed hot, as
Xander Willis went yard to the opposite field. On a wild pitch,
Moises Rosario who had reached base on a hit by pitch scored the sixth Mighty Oaks run.
Hudson Allen drove in
Josh Russell, while he reached base on a fielder's choice. A 2-run homerun from
Keifer Wilson put Oakland City up 9-0 after two innings.
The Cougars would score two runs in the top of the third inning, making it a 9-2 ballgame. The Mighty Oaks answered right away.
Marcos Arocho led-off the inning with a double down the left field line. He scored on an RBI single from
Moises Rosario.
Josh Russell walked and
Fred Fernandez singled to load the bases. A single from
Hudson Allen drove in two runs and
Keifer Wilson followed with a double to drive in another run. Allen scored the fourteenth Mighty Oaks run on an RBI groundout from
Kendric Sorgius.
Fred Fernandez added on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth with a homerun to left field. After
Hudson Allen reached base on a hit by pitch, he was able to score on a double from
Keifer Wilson to make it 18-2.
Marcos Arocho cleared the bases later in the inning with a double off the wall to left centerfield. These would be the final runs that Oakland City would score in this 20-5 victory over IU Kokomo.
Fred Fernandez shined offensively going 5-for-5, while driving in four.
Keifer Wilson also had a solid day at the plate, as he went 3-for-4 and drove in five.
Mick Uebelhor was the starting pitcher for the Oaks. In 4.1 innings he allowed six hits and three runs (all earned), he walked four and struck out six to earn the win.
Clark Gries came in out of the bullpen. He pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one hit and two runs (both earned), while walking two and striking out two.
While the weather forecast is not looking very promising, with a lot more rain coming to Chillicothe, the Oaks are scheduled to play tomorrow at 2:30 PM EST versus the Bears of Shawnee State University.
