OKLAHOMA CITY, OK: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (20-27) gave second ranked Oklahoma City University (39-10) all they could handle in an opening round contest at the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament before falling 5-3 on Friday.
Reggie Wilson led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second, and scored on a single from Joe Lytle to stake the Stars to a quick 1-0 lead.
The Rams loaded the bases with one out in the third, and tied the game when
Jake Davis lifted a sac fly that scored
Quavian Lawson.
Oklahoma City deftly manufactured a run in the fifth inning. Adam Clark drew a leadoff walk and was bunted to second by Josh Halbert. Wilson followed with an RBI single through the left side.
With two outs in the eighth,
Garrett Crook drew a walk and was lifted for a courtesy runner in the form of
Jonathan Bravo.
Ryan Mendez then doubled down the right field line and Bravo came all the way around to score and tie the game at 2-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, Dylan Delso knocked in the go-ahead run with a single. Jared Baker followed with a single that drove in the eventual game-winning run, and the Stars added a run on a bases-loaded squeeze bunt from Adam Clark.
A feisty Rams team did not go quietly.
Dylan Measells and
Jake Howeth started the ninth with consecutive singles. With two outs,
Dusteyn Suttle drove in a run with a single to bring the winning run to the plate. However, Holden Lyons was up to the task, finishing the game with a strikeout.
Miguel Gonzalez (6-0) earned the win after allowing two runs on three hits in 2+ innings of work. Lyons picked up his fifth save of the season by locking down the final three outs.
Ricky Hull, making his eighth appearance and first start for the Rams, was outstanding. He was credited with no decision after allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out six in seven innings of work.
Connor Zamora (1-1) took the loss after allowing two runs in 0.1 innings, while
Avery Sullivan recorded the final two outs for Texas Wesleyan.
Lawson, Measells, Howeth, Suttle, and Mendez each had a pair of Texas Wesleyan's 11 hits.
The Rams will take on Southwestern Christian University (23-24) in an elimination game on Saturday. The Eagles were defeated 7-2 by No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist University this afternoon. Saturday's game is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start.
Ramblings
- This was the 207th game of
Jake Howeth's career at Texas Wesleyan. He will tie Travis Clifford's school record of 208 games played tomorrow afternoon.
- The Rams are now 4-31-2 all-time vs. Oklahoma City, 1-3 all-time in SAC Tournament play, and 6-0 vs. Southwestern Christian.
- The Rams are 0-4 this season against OCU, but have outhit the Stars in three of their four meetings.
