The No. 5 seeded Park University baseball program were in for a rematch against No. 4 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Tuesday, after beating the Cougars the day prior in game one. The Cougars were able to mount the comeback in their second meeting in the Williamsburg Bracket of the 2024 NAIA National Championship Opening Round, defeating the Pirates 9-7.

These are the only two meetings between Park and Saint Francis in program history and the Cougars advance past Park with a 39-18 record on the year, while the Pirates end 2024 with the program's new single-season wins record at 36-19. This is also the third best win-percentage in Park baseball history at.654, the best win-percentage since the 2009 season.

In 55 games played, this season also is the second most runs scored in a season for Park at 381. The record is 388 from the 2009 season as well. In 2009 only 46 games were played, but this year will be the most games played in a season in program history for Park baseball.

For the third straight game, the Pirates' lead-off and senior, Alex Rodriguez got a hit to begin an opening round game. He went three-for-three in the first at-bat of each game with two doubles and two runs scored in the first innings.

Billy Rivera came up next against the Cougars and was hit by a pitch. A walk of Gilberto Torres would load the bases and then Victor Sanchez-Ramos would get hit by a pitch to score Rodriguez from third. Zayne Morrow added to the run column with an RBI-single to right filed to bring in Rivera.

Raul Garcia was on the hill for the Pirates in his first action of the opening round. He went three-up and three-down in the first inning and through two scoreless innings to begin the game, he only allowed one hit.

With one out in the third inning, Saint Francis began to get their offense going with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Three more hits, including two doubles, scored two more runs to overtake Park, 3-2.

It was a good two-run response by Park in the bottom half of the third inning and the lead changed hands once more, 4-3. Sanchez began the inning with a lead-off single, two walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball would score Sanchez. Houston Penrod was able to get an infield single to get Morrow to third, which set up Corey Bradford for the RBI on a grounder to third.

Garcia with a one-run lead did his job and pitched another two scoreless innings and was taken out at the start of the sixth inning with 5.0 innings pitched and four strikeouts.

Park tacked on additional runs in the fourth and fifth innings to reach a 7-3 lead. Ricardo Hernandez had a clutch RBI double in the bottom of the fourth with two outs to get to a 5-3 advantage. After that, the Cougars had three walks, which allowed Rivera to bring in a run on a ground out to the shortstop and then Torres came through with an RBI single for the seventh run.

There was a tough break at the end of the fifth inning for Park, as Sanchez was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single to a double. The worst part was that Rivera was crossing simultaneously as the out was made at second, discrediting a run from Park. This would come back to haunt Park in the end.

With 12 hits on the game, the Pirates impressed with five players sitting on two-hit games. The Cougars would harness some momentum towards the end of this game though with 18 hits. Park left 13 runners on base and the Cougars also had a high number of 11 runners stranded.

The Cougars started the sixth inning with two singles, and after a ground out and sacrifice fly forced by Sebastian Del Olmo on the mound, The Cougars cut the lead to 7-5. After two consecutive doubles, the Cougars were only down one run and Alex Lozada took over for Del Olmo. The Cougars stayed alive with two outs, drawing a walk, a hit by pitch, and finally a single to tie the game. Four runs would score on five hits in the sixth for Saint Francis.

Lozada stayed out for the seventh inning and Saint Francis was controlling much of the momentum with a lead-off single. They then executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to scoring position, which panned out for the Cougars as an RBI single gave them the 8-7 lead on the next batter.

Park was down one-two-three offensively in the seventh, which led to Bryce Perdieu coming in for the top of the eighth down one-run. Perdieu with his final appearance in his career at Park became the single-season record holder in pitching appearances in a single-season with 22. He pitched a hitless eighth inning to give Park a chance.

The bottom of the eighth looked hopeful with a one-out single by Hernandez, but it would be wiped away on a line-drive double-play to end the inning.

Saint Francis tacked on another insurance run on three hits in the top of the ninth for good measure.

Park was given life from Penrod's lead-off double to the alley in left center. The Cougars' reliever pitched the previous 5.1 innings, which included keeping the Pirates off the board the three previous innings. Saint Francis was able to get a fly out and a strikeout to make it two outs with one on to bring up Rodriguez. Rodriguez would work a five-pitch walk, representing the tying run on first base. Rivera had a decent swing on a ball sent to left field, but it would hang up for the final out of the game, 9-7.

Rodriguez is now the new single-season at-bats leader with 201 and will end his Park career with 574 at-bats and 195 hits, solidifying himself at No. 3 and No. 2 on Park's all-time records in those respective categories. Altogether, he has 137 runs scored and 70 walks in his career also putting him at No. 3 all-time at Park in both categories. Defensively, he is No. 3 in career assists with 288.

In just two seasons, Morrow is also climbing the career walks list and his tied for No. 4 with 68 walks, but after 2024 he is now the single-season record holder with 39 walks drawn in a season.

The Pirates' season ends in Williamsburg, Ky., but the 2024 season was filled with countless memorable moments from these student-athletes and staff.  
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