LAWRENCE, Kan. - Freshman
Chris Chung fired eight strong innings for Southern Utah University who posted
a 3-1 victory over Benedictine College in the final game of the Jayhawk Classic
Wednesday afternoon.
The Thunderbirds (5-4) ended a three-game
skid after receiving a dominant starting pitching performance from Chung (1-0).
The young right-hander struck out three, allowed just one unearned run and
scattered seven hits in a team season-high eight innings to pick up his first
collegiate win. Fellow freshman Kolby Rimer notched his first career save with
a scoreless ninth. Benedictine had its record fall to 3-4.
Southern Utah had five players record hits
with junior designated hitter Bo Cuthbertson scoring a run and stealing two
bases in the win. Redshirt-junior first baseman Mitchell Kauweloa, junior
second baseman Kevin Nay and sophomore shortstop D.J. Andrade each drove in a
run.
Cuthbertson got things started for the
Thunderbirds with a two-single in the first inning. He later stole second
before Kauweloa stepped in a doubled to left field to score Cuthbertson for the
game's first run. SUU picked up another run in the second as freshman third
baseman Bryson Kenolio led off the inning with a triple to right field. He came
home a batter later on Andrade's fielder's choice ground out to make it a 2-0
ball game.
Those two runs proved to be enough for Chung
who worked around a pair of jams in the first and second innings and later
ended Benedictine bases-loaded threat with a strikeout to preserve the 2-0 SUU
lead. The lone run given up by Chung came in the sixth as Benedictine took
advantage of a Thunderbird error and hit-by-pitch that started the inning,
eventually resulting in a run to make it 2-1.
SUU came right back with a run of their own
in the sixth on Nay's RBI-groundout that again opened up a two-run lead for the
Thunderbirds.
Chung made the 3-1 lead stand, working around
a single to fire a scoreless seventh and firing a perfect eighth. Rimer came in
to start the ninth and allowed a one-out single but immediately picked that
baserunner off before inducing the next batter to groundout for the final out.
Southern Utah is off this coming weekend
before hitting the road for a four-game series at University of Louisiana -
Monroe on Mar. 11-13.
