RIO GRANDE, Ohio. - The Indiana University Kokomo Baseball program split Friday's doubleheader at Rio Grande, winning game one before being walked-off in game two to put a bow on River States Conference play.

Game One: 12-6 Win

• Rio Grande struck first in game two of the three-game set, scoring a single run in the first, third, and fourth innings before the IU Kokomo bats got going.
• The Cougars exploded for seven runs in the top of the fifth, taking a four-run lead midway through the contest. Brayden Coffey doubled and scored on an Anthony Nino single, before Payton Hankins scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Luke Hanson. Nino would score one batter later, as Mason Janz was hit-by-pitch.
• With the game tied 3-3 and one out in the frame, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jacob Medvescek that scored Alex Janke led to an E-4, scoring both Luke Hanson and Mason Janz to make it 6-3. Kasey Ross hit a solo-shot with two outs, extending the lead to four at 7-3.
• IU Kokomo added three more in the sixth, as Anthony Nino led off the inning with a base-hit before his pinch-runner, Garrett Lupoi, eventually scored on a Hanson RBI single. Medvescek came through with a two-out, two-RBI base-knock, scoring Judah Hennessy and Wolf to make it a 10-3 IUK lead.
• The RedStorm plated a pair in the seventh, pulling within five at 10-5 with two innings remaining.
• The Cougars final two runs of the game came in the ninth, with Noah Wolf doubling home both Nino and Coffey, re-building the lead to seven at 12-5 heading into the home-half of the ninth.
• Rio managed to score a run in the ninth but that was all, as the Cougars closed out a 12-6 victory to even the series 1-1 ahead of game three.

Pitching Notables:

• Dominant LHP Brett Huiner made his ninth start of the season Friday, tossing six innings of three-run ball to improve to 6-1 on the spring. Huiner surrendered those three runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out four.
• Freshman RHP Kaleb Shelton was the first man out of the pen for IUK, giving up two earned runs on two hits and two walks in his lone inning of work.
• Dylan Bryant shut the door on the RedStorm, allowing one run to score on two hits while working the eighth and ninth, striking out a pair.

Game Two: 14-13 Loss (Eight Innings)

• IU Kokomo carried the momentum over from game one of Friday's doubleheader, scoring and early often to put the pressure on the host RedStorm.
• After a scoreless first inning, IUK scored the first four runs of the game in the top of the second. Payton Hankins doubled and scored a batter later on a Luke Hanson RBI single, with Hanson's courtesy runner Judah Hennessy eventually scoring on a Noah Wolf double. Anthony Nino would score on an Alex Janke single before Wolf scored on a Mason Janz sac-fly.
• Rio Grande immediately responded with a pair of their own in the home-half of the inning, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2 thanks to a two-run shot.
• The Cougars and RedStorm then traded three run frames, with IUK scoring three in the third and fourth and URG notching three runs in both the third and fifth. Through five complete, it was IU Kokomo in front 10-8.
• The RedStorm burst out for five in the sixth to take their first lead of the series finale, as they took a 13-10 lead into the final frame.
• IU Kokomo did what was necessary to keep the game alive, scoring three in the top of the seventh before posting a zero and forcing extra innings. Janz homered to left to trim the deficit to two, with Jacob Medvescek and Kasey Ross drawing consecutive one-out walks. With two outs in the frame, both Mike Talesky and Hanson were hit-by-pitch, pulling the Cougs within one. Janke came through with two away, singling to third base in order to score Garrett Lupoi (Pinch Running for Ross) and tie the game heading to the bottom of the frame. 
• After the Cougars posted a zero in the bottom of the seventh, Rio Grande posted a zero of their own in the top of the eighth, giving them a chance to walk it off in the home-half of the inning. The RedStorm's leadoff man in the eighth did just that, hitting a solo-shot to give Rio Grande a 14-13 walk-off win and series victory over the Cougars.

Pitching Notables:

• AJ Burkhalter got the start for IU Kokomo, lasting three innings while allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out a pair.
• Logan Greer relieved Burkhalter, surrendering three earned runs on three hits, a free pass and two HBP's, striking out three.
• Ethan Leslie was charged with five unearned runs on a hit, two walks, and a HBP, striking out two in his lone inning of work.
• Mason Janz entered and recorded the final out of the sixth to escape a jam, walking two.
• Nathan Stanley took the loss, recording a scoreless seventh before giving up the walk-off homer in the eighth. Stanley allowed one earned run on one hit and a walk.

The Cougars will be back in action this Wednesday for a mid-week matchup at Georgetown (Ky.). Join us Friday, April 25, for the final two home games of the Cougar season against Miami Hamilton (OH), with seniors being honored pregame. 

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.