OKLAHOMA CITY, OK: The 12th ranked Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (28-11, 10-5 SAC) handed 2nd ranked Oklahoma City University (37-5, 14-1 SAC) its first conference loss by a score of 12-3 in the finale of a three-game Sooner Athletic Conference series at Jim Wade Stadium on Saturday. The Stars took game one of Saturday's doubleheader 7-3.
In the victory, Oklahoma City scored first with a solo home run from Lane Milligan in the third inning, but Texas Wesleyan's offense broke loose and put 12 runs on the board over the final three innings of the game.
A pair of two-run blasts from
Garrett Crook and
Luis Roman highlighted a five-run fifth inning. Roman then capped off a five-run sixth with a two-run double. The seventh inning started with singles from
Tanner McMahon and
Alex Gudac who both scored on an OCU error.
Stephen Yancey (6-3) worked all seven innings in the win and allowed just three runs, two earned, on six hits while striking out six.
The Rams outhit the Stars 13-6 while the top of the order (
Blake Seaton,
Casey Moses, and
Luis Roman) combined to go 7-for-14 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI.
In game one, Texas Wesleyan put two on the board in a first inning that included an RBI double from
Aidan Laurini, but the Stars sent eleven men to the plate and scored five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Single tallies in the third and fourth innings pushed the score to 7-2. The Rams got a solo home run from
Dylan Measells in the fifth, but could not mount a serious comeback.
Mark Simon (8-0) allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits in seven innings of work.
Alex Lopez (6-2) suffered just his second loss of the season after allowing seven runs on 10 hits while striking out eight in six innings pitched.
Roman was 2-for-4 in game one, while he went 4-for-9 with a double, home run, four RBI, and two runs scored in the doubleheader.
The Rams are back in action on Tuesday, when they travel to Dallas to take on Dallas Christian College. That game is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The Rams have won four of their first five SAC series. They are second in the conference standings at 10-5 in league play and trail the 14-1 Stars by four games.
- Oklahoma City leads the all-time series with Texas Wesleyan 33-9-2, although the Rams have won five of the last seven meetings.
- Texas Wesleyan is now 56-33 all-time in SAC play. They lead the all-time series with their next opponent, Dallas Christian College, 16-4.
- Texas Wesleyan's national ranking of 12th is the program's high-water mark since 2007 when the team was ranked as high as 8th.
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Luis Roman extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. During that stretch he has batted .453 (24-53) with 10 extra-base hits, including four home runs, and 21 RBI.
- Three home runs on Saturday gives the Rams 36 on the season, the program's most since hitting 55 bombs in 2010.
