RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- After splitting the doubleheader to open their series on Thursday, the Midway baseball team returned to Bob Evans Field on Sunday (March 26) to wrap up their three-game River States Conference series with Rio Grande (Ohio).

The RedStorm took an 8-7 lead following the fifth inning, but Midway rallied in the final two frames, scoring five runs in the eighth and ninth innings to clinch the series victory with a 17-8 win on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, Midway improves to 15-12 overall and 9-3 in RSC play, while Rio Grande falls to 11-19 overall and 4-8 in league play following the loss.

Cameron Nichols – who had a game he won't soon forget – helped Midway get off to a great start, accounting for their first three runs. The graduate student from Owensboro, Ky. hit a two-run home run in the first and a solo home run in the third to bring his total to four on the year.

Despite Nichols' fast start, Midway trailed 4-3 entering the fourth frame. The visitors regained the lead after scoring four runs on four hits in the top of the fourth. Josh Halterman (Lexington, Ky.) and Barrett McGill (Bloomfield, Ky.) each had an RBI single, while Shane Taylor (Morehead, Ky.) laced a two-run single to right field, giving his squad a 7-4 advantage.

Midway's lead, however, was short lived after the RedStorm tied the game with three in the bottom of the fourth before taking an 8-7 lead with a run in the home half of the fifth.

After being held scoreless in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, the Eagles rallied in the eighth, scoring five runs on six hits. Ryan Davis (Paris, Ky.) got in on the act with an RBI double before Nichols continued his big day with a two-run single to break an eight-all tie.

Taylor then hit an RBI single to right before Noah Phillips (Greenville, Ky.) picked up an RBI the hard way after reaching on a bases loaded hit by pitch.

Midway continued to pad their lead in the ninth, scoring five runs on five hits. Davis and Halterman walked to open the inning before Nichols capped a perfect day at the plate with a single to load the bases. Nichols went 6-for-6 with two homers, five RBIs, and five runs.

The Eagles then got three consecutive RBI singles from McGill, Taylor, and Eli Glasscock (Danville, Ky.) before Grant Hotchkiss (Richmond, Ky.) put the finishing touches on the 17-8 victory with a two-run single to center.

Cameron Head (Salem, Ky.) picked up the win in relief after pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Tyler Pyles (Louisville, Ky.) scattered two hits with two strikeouts in his 1.2 innings, while Jesse Komoroski (Memphis, Tenn.) tossed a scoreless ninth to clinch the win.

Offensively, Midway recorded 22 hits in the win. Taylor and McGill each recorded four hits apiece while collecting four and two RBIs, respectively. Hotchkiss added two hits, two RBIs, and two runs, and Davis chipped in two hits, an RBI, and four runs, while Halterman recorded two hits, an RBI, and three runs scored.

Luther Bramblett's squad is set to return to action on Tuesday (March 28) when they travel to Barbourville, Ky. for a midweek matchup against Union (Ky.).

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