CHILLICOTHE, Ohio. - The IU Kokomo baseball team fell behind 7-0 thru an inning and a half Thursday evening, but the effort and resolve never wavered in a stunning comeback win. The Cougars scored seven unanswered to win game one of the RSC Championship 11-9 over #5 seed Oakland City.

The Mighty Oaks offense did not take long to find a rythym, scoring seven runs on seven hits in the first two frames to lead IU Kokomo 7-0.

The Cougars got on the board in the second, as Jack Leverenz led off the inning with a double to right before scoring on a Jarod Gillespie RBI double to make it a 7-1 Mighty Oaks lead thru two innings.

Oakland City would lead off the fourth with a solo-shot to retake a seven-run lead at 8-1, but IU Kokomo responded with a crooked number in the bottom half of the frame to cut the deficit to four. Gillespie, Tahj Borom, and Brayden Coffey all recorded RBI's in the inning.

The two sides traded solo home runs in the fifth, as Tucker Platt hit his ninth homer of the year to cut the OCU lead to four at 9-5.

From then on, IU Kokomo would score a pair of runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, all while keeping the Mighty Oaks off the scoreboard to complete the comeback win. 

The Cougs scored two runs on a hit and an error in the sixth, pulling within two. Right fielder Jacob Medvescek hit a line drive to right that snuck over the wall in the seventh, tying the game 9-9 in an emphatic way.

After Kasey Ross reached via error to open the eighth for IUK, Brayden Coffey reached via bunt single before the two advanced to second and third on a sac-bunt from Riley Garczynski. Alex Janke came thru with his lone hit of the day when it mattered most, singling through the 5-6 hole to score a pair and give the Cougars an 11-9 lead they would close out in the ninth. 

Blake Kimball got the start on the mound for the Cougars, his third start of the season. He worked an inning and a third with a final line of: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, K.

Mason Whiteley was the first man out of the pen for IUK Thursday, eating innings in an efficient outing that put a halt to the Oakland City offense while allowing the Cougars to build momentum of their own. Whiteley tossed 5.2 innings on 76 pitches, allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three.

Asa Christie entered in relief of Whiteley to pitch the eighth, retiring the side in order. He would walk the first two batters in the top of the ninth, but IUK save-leader Victor Fujiu slammed the door shut on the Mighty Oaks. Christie earned the win to improve to 4-0, while Fujiu collected his sixth save.

Thursday's win was the Cougars first Opening Round win in the RSC Championship since 2019. The #4 seed Cougars will now take on #1 seed Point Park Friday evening at 7:30 PM.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.