CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Behind five unanswered runs, including three in the eighth inning, the Asbury University baseball team rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Rio Grande in the River States Conference Championship opening round on Thursday.

The Eagles improve to 37-10 on the year and will face Point Park tomorrow night at 7 PM in the next round.

Highlights
*Rio added two runs in the top of third to take an early advantage and scored twice in the fifth off RBI singles.  
*The Eagles were held to just two hits through the first five innings of the play.
*In the sixth, AU scored two runs off a Colton Back two-RBI double to right-center to cut the lead down to 4-2.
*Will McDonald settled in on the mound down the stretch and allowed just two hits in the final three innings.
*Asbury took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth with three runs. After Walker Paris' RBI single reduced the lead down to 4-3, Back delivered another crucial RBI single to tie up the game. Paris would score off an error moments later to put AU on top.

Key Stats
*Paris, Back, and McIntire all recorded multi-hit games for the Eagles' bats. Paris led AU with three hits and Back tallied three RBI as the duo each recorded a double apiece additionally.
*McDonald went the distance and struck out four to earn the victory, his ninth of the year.
*Asbury tallied eight hits in the victory.