Athletics

Baseball

The Culver-Stockton College baseball team saw its season come to an end with a 9-6 loss to William Jewell in an elinimation game at a soggy and wet NAIA Region V Tournament in St. Charles, Mo.

Things started off well for the Wildcats, who jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a triple by Jason Payne and a RBI single by Chris Rinaudo.

C-SC plated another run on a throwing error by the Cardinal pitcher on a ball hit by Kevin Steinhardt to score Rinaudo.

The Wildcats still were threatening in the inning and loaded the bases when a steady rain forced a delay that would last one hour, 41 minutes.

Upon the re-start of the game, William Jewell got out of the bases loaded jam and then started a rally of its own.

The Cardinals put the first two runners on base wen Jonathon Farris was asked to sacrifice. He bunted it strongly back to pitcher Brad Simmons who opted to go for the force out at third base.

Simmons' throw was on target, but glanced off the glove of Jaime Munoz and in to left field allowing all the runners to move up a base and one run to score.

Simmons got the next two batters on groundouts without damage being done; however, he didn't get out of the inning safely as leadoff hitter Jeremy Strack crushed a three-run homer to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

William Jewell added two runs before the inning was over and had taken a 6-2 lead after an inning and a half.

C-SC plated two more runs in the bottom of the second inning on another run-scoring single by Rinaudo that scored Raul Corrales, who had singled.

Kurt Kessler and Rinaudo each moved up a base on the left fielder's error, and Kessler came home on a sacrifice fly by Jaime Munoz.

C-SC closed to within 6-5 in the fourth inning on a walk by Rinaudo and a RBI double from Munoz.

However, Jewell plated one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning to up the margin to 9-5.

C-SC made its last stand in the eighth inning on back-to-back walks to Corrales and Kessler, and a sacrifice fly by Rinaudo.

Rinaudo finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Munoz was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Wildcats finish the season with a 30-16 overall record.