Myrtle Beach, SC – The SUNY Canton baseball team had a 5-1 lead heading into the ninth, gave up six runs, scored two in the bottom of the ninth, then AJ Campi had a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth as well as a win on the mound and the Roos defeated the Rivier Raiders 8-7 in extras Thursday.  

THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Canton 8, Rivier 7 (10 inn.)
• Location: Crosley Field – Myrtle Beach, SC
• Records: SUNY Canton (3-4) | Rivier (1-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Roos wasted no time attacking Raiders starting pitcher Sean Kuhlhoff and just four pitches into his outing, Campi had a base hit, Chris McLean was drilled by a pitch, and Sal Diaz plated the first run for the Roos with a single up the middle to score Campi.
• Later in the inning, Lance Phillips Jr. got purposefully got himself into a rundown with McLean on third and while the Raiders were throwing the ball around between first and second, McLean snuck home to plate the second run of the inning. Finally, the third run came across to score on an error as the Roos jumped out to a 3-0 advantage.
• Rivier responded in the second inning though with a double, a bunt single, then an RBI groundout to make it 3-1.
• The Roos restored their three-run lead in the top of the fourth with McLean's sacrifice fly.  
• The bottom of the fifth inning commenced with a double off the center field wall by Eliezer Vázquez, then a base hit by Phillips Jr. put runners on the corners. Korbin Lovejoy then came through a fielder's choice ground ball to score the Roos fifth run of the game.
• Meanwhile, Zander Johnson on the bump for SUNY Canton delivered a huge performance. After struggling with command a bit early in the game, the Wells transfer got better as the game went along, even mowing down Rivier hitters third time through the order. His night finished with seven innings, allowing just one run off of five hits and five strikeouts.
• Maxwell Rose came into pitch in the eighth and initially ran into some trouble with the Raiders packing the bags with one out. However, Rose got the next batter to fly out to shallow right to keep the runner from tagging up, then a groundout to end the threat with no damage.
• However, the final inning was not quite the same for the Roos. After walking home three runs, they surrendered a bases-clearing double and Rivier had all the momentum with a six-spot in the inning to take a 7-5 lead.  
• SUNY Canton hung tough, though, and McLean started things in the ninth with a base hit. Vázquez followed this up with a deep double into right center that McLean had no problem scoring on. A groundball sent the Roos down to their final out, but Mark Maybee Jr., in his first at-bat of the game, delivered with an opposite field base hit to tie it up at seven and send the game into extra innings.
• Campi, now on the mound, allowed a one-out base hit, but recovered with two quick outs to strand the runner with the Raiders coming up empty-handed in the top of the 10^th.  
• The Roos took a couple for the team with Zack Baiani and Jacob Ortiz both getting plunked to open up the bottom of the 10^th. The duo showcased their speed with a double steal, and then Campi wrapped up the game lacing a line drive into right field as the Roos walked it off in the 10^th inning before Rivier even recorded an out.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Campi, a two-way player, led SUNY Canton in hits with three, including the walk-off base knock in the 10^th. He also pitched the final 1.1 innings for the Roos and was the winning pitcher.
• Vázquez had a pair of doubles with an RBI while Diaz and Lovejoy each tallied two hits and one run batted in each.
• Both Sebastien Reis and Brady Balint had three hits for Rivier. Relievers Damon Reyes and Travis McKeen combined for three shutout innings to hold off the Roos late.
• The Raiders out-hit the Roos 13-12 but surrendered two unearned runs early in the game that eventually proved costly. They also left quite a few on base with 13 runners stranded in the contest.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will have their final game down in South Carolina tomorrow, March 13, against the Bridgewater State Bears at 12:30 p.m.
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.