April 21, 2011

Box Score

PETERSBURG, VA - The Winston-Salem State Rams (26-19) ran into some costly errors in a tough 3-2 loss to the Saint Augustine's Falcons (35-16), Thursday in the opening game of the 2011 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Baseball Championship Tournament. In a game that was a defensive struggle for all nine innings, key fielding errors proved to the difference in the tough loss.

Defense was the order of the day with both teams making big plays in the field throughout the game. The Rams held the Falcons to just three runs on eight hits while notching just three hits of their own in the loss. Three WSSU players notched one hit each in the loss with freshman Andrew Smith and sophomore German Reyes both scoring runs for the Rams. Junior infielder Jordan Graham added a hit as well.

In the early going, it was the Rams who took advantage of fielding miscues as an error by the Falcons infield allowed the Rams to take a 1-0 lead on a Reyes score. The Falcons tied the game on a third inning RBI single and took the 2-1 lead on a WSSU passed ball in the inning. The Rams would strike again when a Smith double was followed by another Saint Augustine's fielding error that allowed him to score and tied the game 2-2. However, the Rams committed a critical throwing error in the seventh inning that allowed the winning run and sealed the WSSU loss.

WSSU junior Brice Rivenbark (4-5) took the pitching loss with 4.2 innings on the mound with an earned run and an unearned run allowed. He added six strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Brandon Christ earned the start and went 3.1 innings with two earned runs allowed an a pair of strikeouts.

With the loss, the Rams face the loser of the Chowan/Virginia State game in a 4:00 p.m. game. For more information on Rams baseball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.