ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball took a decisive 9-0 victory over Ouachita Baptist University Friday night in the first of a three-game series.
Walker Wharton returned to form earning his sixth win, while two both
Jorin Van Amstel (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and
Judah Zickafoose (2-for-4) went deep.
Northwestern ran starter
Walker Wharton out to the hill making his 11
th start of the season, and he did not disappoint. The senior left hander threw seven strong innings as he scattered five hits and struck out six without giving up a run to extend Ouachita Baptist's losing streak to 13 games.
Jorin Van Amstel jumpstarted the Ranger offense in the bottom of the 1
st when he sent a 1-1 offering from Ouachita starter John Franklin Matros high over the wall in right-center. His fifth home run of the season gave the red-and-black a 3-0 lead. The Rangers would tack on one in the 2
nd and two more in the third to extend their advantage six.
Wharton was dominant in his first three frames, holding OBU without a hit until back-to-back base hits in the 4
th followed by a walk loaded the bases with one out. The lefty was able to get Cade McBride to fly out to deep center in what looked like textbook sacrifice fly, but the effort was wasted when the runner at third left early and Wharton escaped unscathed.
The Rangers were able to add more in the bottom of the 5
th with a two out rally as they capitalized on two Tiger errors to grow their lead to 8-0. Zickafoose then launched his ninth round-tripper of the season into the night sky around as he wrapped it around the right field foul pole.
Wharton exited after the 7
th and gave way to reliever and fellow senior
Matthew Bickford, who threw two clean frames to shut down the Tigers.
Fan favorite
Nathan Weatherly made his season debut for the red-and-black, working a 2-0 count before a hard groundout to third base.
Up Next
Saturday is Senior Day at Myers Stadium as the Rangers will honor a class of 11 seniors in a pre-game ceremony on the field beginning at 12:30 p.m. before wrapping up the series with Ouachita Baptist in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
For the latest news and updates on Ranger Baseball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com
