Box Score CARY, NC – The Winston-Salem State University Rams got a walk off hit from Colby Keene in the bottom of the ninth inning, to survive the opening round upset bid, with a 5-4 win at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, NC.
With the win WSSU moves to 36-13 overall, while St. Augustine's falls to 19-26 overall.
In the first inning, a Colby Keene single brought home Gavin Culler to give the Rams an early 1-0 lead.
WSSU picked up another in the second inning, as a Des Roberts double, scoring Nathan Steger, that pushed the Rams lead to 2-0.
But then the Rams bats went cold, and the St. Augustine's Falcons bats came alive.
After dominating the Falcons for 42/3 innings, Sam Burton showed he was human, by allowing the Falcons to break through with a run in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the Rams lead to 2-1.
After holding WSSU scoreless in the sixth, St. Augustine's got a serious rally started with two outs. They would manage to plate three runs on three hits in the inning to go out in front 4-2, with just three innings left to play.
The score would remain 4-2 Falcons, until the bottom of eighth inning, when the Rams got one of the biggest hits of the season to even up the game.
Colby Keene started the eighth with a single, bringing to the plate the 2015 CIAA Player of the Year, Connor Andrus. Andrus hit the first pitch he saw and hit a mammoth no-doubt home run over the left center field fence for a game tying home run, sending the bench and Rams fans in attendance into a frenzy.
WSSU was not out of the woods yet, and after loading the bases in the top of the ninth, Jordan Cummings was able to work his way out of the jam by inducing a fly ball to right field to end the inning and set up the dramatics in the bottom of the inning.
In the ninth, Taylor Idol singled, stole second and, Des Roberts was walked. After a strike out, Colby Keene would come to plate and would get the game-winning hit with a single to score Idol.
Colby Keene led the Rams going 3 for 5 with one run scored and two runs batted in, while Connor Andrus went 1 for 3 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Des Roberts finished 2 for 4 with a run batted in, and Nathan Steger and Taylor Idol each finished 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Sam Burton went 5.2 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, while striking out five. Eric Corlett went 2.2 innings giving up one hit, while walking three and striking out one, and Jordan Cummings picked up the win, going the final 0.2 innings, giving up one hit and one walk.
The 2015 CIAA Baseball Tourney will resume tomorrow with top seed Winston-Salem State University playing third seed Virginia State University at 1 p.m. Friday at USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C., weather permitting.
