Grosz’s walk-off single lifts UMHB to Game 1 win over Ozarks as The Cru splits Friday’s doubleheader

File photo of Rhett Grosz by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru

BELTON–Rhett Grosz stepped to the plate in the eighth inning on Friday afternoon, bases loaded, two outs, score tied at two apiece. It was the kind of moment every hitter dreams of being put in, a chance to come through clutch when it is needed most. On this mid-April day, the senior third baseman did just that, as he connected on a pitch from Ozarks reliever Jose Scianca and sent a two-hopper to the left side of the infield. 

The ball took a high bounce over the glove of Eagles shortstop Christian Martinez and into the outfield as Drake Herrera raced home from third. He scored the game-winning run in the 3-2 walk-off win for The Cru and immediately sprinted toward shallow right center field, as did the entire UMHB dugout. A celebration—with Grosz at the center—unfolded amidst cheers and excitement in the stands. 

UMHB came out with a victory in the series opener for the third straight weekend, improving to 21-12 overall and 13-9 in ASC play. Grosz was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI, one of six different Crusaders to record a hit in the contest. 

Originally set to be a seven-inning game, Ozarks caught a few breaks in the top of the seventh, trailing 2-1. Back-to-back one-out singles generated momentum, then came a routine groundball off the bat of Connor Reed. Shortstop Kyle Hogwood fielded it cleanly and flipped it to second baseman Chris Perez for the inning’s second out, but an attempt at the double play went awry. The throw to first was off the mark, and Alfredo Reid scored on the play from second base. It tied the score at 2-2, and UMHB went down in order in the bottom of the frame. Ozarks followed the same three-up, three-down pattern against UMHB reliever Nick Fenner in the eighth, leading to the walk-off win capped by Grosz’s RBI single. 

Chris Perez, who Herrera pinch-ran for, reached base on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the inning, but a strikeout from Jordan Fernandez and a flyout from Kaden deBerardinis handed UMHB two quick outs. Cameron Talburt followed with a key walk, putting Herrera in scoring position, and Carson Hagan’s single loaded the bases for Grosz. 

UMHB’s initial 2-1 lead came in the second inning. Grosz led off and reached base on a hit-by-pitch and Jayden Chatman and Kyle Hogwood added back-to-back singles, loading the bases. Elijah Rodriguez and Perez were pivotal in the two at-bats that followed, as both made good contact when needed, and each drove in a run. Rodriguez’s RBI groundout produced UMHB’s first run of the game, and Perez’s deep RBI flyout to center field brought Chatman across the plate.

Game two saw Ozarks even the series, as the Eagles emerged with a 5-1 win. UMHB was held to just two hits at the plate, as Ozarks starter Isaiah Lemke tossed a complete game on the mound, striking out six in the seven-inning duel. 

The Eagles, who tallied 11 hits, pushed two runs across in the first inning for an early lead. Grosz singled in the sixth, driving Tyler Betts home as the deficit was cut to one, but a three-run seventh from Ozarks put the Eagles in control and on the path to a Game 2 win. 

Game Notes

• Rhett Grosz now has 46 RBIs this season, which is tied with Adam Froeschl’s 2008 total, for the fourth-most RBIs in a single season in program history (in the D-III era).
  • He needs just one more RBI to move into a three-way tie for second place in that category. 
• Grosz is also just four RBIs shy of surpassing Malek Bolin for the third-most RBIs in a career in UMHB history, as he currently has 121. 
• Rahul Champaneri made the 34th start of his UMHB career on Friday in Game 2, and is now tied for the program’s fourth-most career starts, according to The Cru’s D-III record book. 
• The 3-2 victory in Game 1 marked The Cru’s first victory over Ozarks at home since March 20, 2016. Ozarks swept The Cru in the only series played in Belton since 2016, when the two conference opponents met in 2019. 
• UMHB is now 2-1 in extra-innings games this season. Prior to Friday’s win, The Cru beat Austin College in eight innings on Feb. 17, and dropped a 10-9 result at Howard Payne on March 2. 

Up Next

UMHB will host Ozarks in its final ASC game of the regular season on Saturday at Red Murff Field on the UMHB campus. First pitch is set for noon. The Crusaders are 21-13 overall, 13-9 in the ASC, and in third-place in the league standings. Ozarks is fifth in the standings, at 8-11 in conference play. The Eagles are 14-18 overall.