SHAWNEE, OK: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (17-20, 9-8 SAC) dropped both ends of a doubleheader at No. 7 Oklahoma Baptist University (39-4, 15-2 SAC) on Saturday. The Bison took game one 2-0 and game two 14-10 to earn a three-game sweep of the Sooner Athletic Conference series.
Mitch McLeod kept the high powered Bison off balance throughout game one. He allowed only an unearned run in the second and an RBI single to Keach Ballard after a leadoff walk to Shakeel Newton in the fifth inning.
However, Jimmy Para (7-1) was just a notch better as he shutout the Rams on five hits while striking out six in the seven-inning ballgame. McLeod (3-5) allowed just the one earned run on five hits and four walks while striking out eight.
Game two was an entirely different affair as the two teams combined for 24 runs on 26 hits.
The Rams jumped ahead with three runs in the first.
Dylan Measells led off with a single and later scored on a balk.
Rod Lewis then ripped an RBI single and
Jake Howeth scampered home with the third run after a Bison error.
OBU got one back in the bottom of the first, but a leadoff single from
Tyler Kamtz led to a run on a groundout from
Nathaniel Dillon to push the lead to 4-1 in the second inning.
The Bison came right back to tie the game with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the second and then broke the contest open with four runs on two hits, two walks, and two errors in the third.
The Rams got an unearned run in the fourth, but the Bison batted around again and knocked in four runs with four hits and a pair of walks in the bottom of the frame.
Jake Howeth touched off his third home run of the season in the fifth inning, a solo shot, but two more Bison tallies in the bottom of the inning pushed the score to 14-6.
In the seventh inning,
Jose Martinez doubled with one out. McLeod then entered as a pinch hitter and was hit by a pitch.
Rod Lewis walked, and
Quavian Lawson took a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left field for a grand slam.
Taylor Hearn (8-0) earned the win after allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits in four innings of work.
Ricky Hull (1-1) took the loss after allowing four unearned runs on two hits in an inning of relief work.
Tyler Kamtz was 3-for-3 in the loss while
Ryan Mendez went 2-for-4 at the plate. Yariel Gonzelez keyed OBU's 16-hit attack with a 3-for-5 day with 5 RBI.
The Rams will return to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Abilene, TX, to take on McMurry University. That game is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The grand slam was Lawson's first home run of the season and second in as many seasons with the Rams.
-
Rod Lewis had his eight-game hitting streak snapped in game one, making
Jake Howeth's four-game streak the longest active stretch on the team.
- The Bison began the season at 30-0 and have been rated No. 1 in the NAIA this season.
