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Matt Rupenthal’s Three-run Homer helps Brother Rice Sweep Detroit Western, 5-3
Troy – In a battle of two of the state of Michigan’s premier high school baseball programs, Brother Rice defeated Detroit Western International 5-3, in game two of their double-header showdown Thursday afternoon to gain the doubleheader sweep. In game one, Brother Rice’s eight-run rally in the 6th led to a 10-2 win earlier in the day.
With some of the state’s top talent in both dugouts, both teams came out swinging early. Louis Chapa of Western smacked a RBI double into centerfield with two outs to give the Cowboys the early 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. Brother Rice would answer back with in the bottom of the 1st with a shot of their own. After Nick Plummer, and Bobby Cross were both able to get on base for the Warriors, shortsop Matt Rupenthal blasted a three-run homer over the leftfield wall to put Brother Rice up 3-1.
The Warriors would add two more runs in the bottom of the 5th inning to cushion their lead to 5-1 over Western. Ty Kiafoulis brought in a run with an RBI single, and another run was brought in on a bases loaded walk by Alex Malzone. The Cowboys of Western refused to go away though, as Chapa – who was 2-2 at the plate with 3 RBIs – hit a two-run homerun of his own to cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th.
But the strong pitching performance and stingy defense by Brother Rice would hold Western scoreless in the final inning, sealing the 5-3 win. Michigan commit Hector Gutierrez threw 125 pitches in five innings for Western, and went 0-3 at the plate. The Warriors improved to 20-7 on the season, and 13-4 at home at their new multi-million dollar field in Troy.
