LINCOLN — Texas Wesleyan University (42-11) secured a commanding victory over Oakland City University (40-15) with a final score of 17-11 on Tuesday at Sherman Field.
Texas Wesleyan tallied 16 hits, including three home runs, while also drawing five hit-by-pitches.
Texas Wesleyan secured a 17-11 victory over Oakland City with a series of powerful innings. The Mighty Oaks took an early lead in the first inning when Nazhir Bergen doubled to center field, bringing in a run and making it 1-0.
In the second inning, the Rams responded decisively. Aidan Vega scored the first run, followed by RBIs from Brendon Vela and Gabriel Supelveda, pushing the score to 5-1. Oakland City managed one run, courtesy of a home run by Dicky Gonzalez, making it 5-2 after two innings.
The third inning saw Texas Wesleyan increase its lead. Jorge Herrera scored from a Jose Rangel single, and Vega crossed home on a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to 7-5. Oakland City answered with a solo home run by Simon Gaines and a two-run homer from Bergen, closing the gap to 7-5.
In the fourth, Texas Wesleyan extended its lead with home runs from Supelveda, Jonathan Pena, and Giuseppe Buttaci, adding four more runs for an 11-5 advantage. Oakland City did not score in this inning.
The Mighty Oaks narrowed the lead in the fifth with a two-run homer by Bergen and a triple by Gonzalez, closing the gap to 11-8. However, the sixth inning was quiet for both teams, maintaining the score.
The Rams struck again in the seventh, with Endi Jaquez and Vela contributing RBI singles. A stolen base and an error allowed them to score four runs, increasing the lead to 15-8. Oakland City did not score this inning.
In the eighth, Oakland City rallied with a sacrifice fly and a two-RBI double by Jake Winzenread, cutting the Texas Wesleyan lead to 15-11.
In the ninth inning, the Rams sealed the victory with Daniel Hernandez and Jaquez scoring on a passed ball and a steal, respectively. The game concluded with a final score of 17-11 in favor of the Rams.
Jose Casado pitched 4 innings, allowing 6 earned runs on 8 hits, including 3 home runs, while striking out 6. Dylan Krause followed, pitching for 2/3 of an inning, surrendering 2 earned runs on 3 hits and issuing 1 walk. Noah Huerta closed out the game with 4 1/3 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and recording 3 strikeouts. Despite the challenges, Huerta managed to earn the win, improving his record to 4-2.
Jaquez recorded three runs and two RBIs, showcasing his ability to impact the game offensively. Supelveda contributed with three hits and four RBIs, including a home run, highlighting his effectiveness at the plate. Pena added two RBIs and hit a home run, demonstrating his power during the game. Buttaci tallied two runs and two RBIs, also hitting a home run, reflecting his all-around performance.
"Our bats got hot today. Our boys did a really good job staying on the off-speed pitches. We knew if we were able to see the elevated off-speed pitches, we were going to put up some runs," Texas Wesleyan coach Bobby Garza said.
"Casado pitched really well. It was tough navigating through their lineup, but Casado was able to keep our team ahead the entire game," Garza said."We knew if we could get Noah the ball with some breathing room, he was going to give us an opportunity for a victory. He did just that,"
