ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball kept their post-season dreams afloat Friday as they bounced back from an 11-1 loss to the Henderson State Reddies with a 3-2 win in extra innings in game two.
Game 1
With the Rangers entering play in ninth place in the Great American Conference with just two weeks to play, they sent senior
Walker Wharton to the hill with plans to keep their playoff push alive. Wharton, fresh off a bounce-back win over Ouachita Baptist last week that saw him throw seven scoreless frames, was in search of his seventh victory of the 2018 campaign.
After throwing a clean three-up three-down 1
st, the Reddies were able to score a leadoff double off the left hander in the 2
nd to take a quick 1-0 lead. Henderson State would power their way to a three-run inning in the 3
rd before putting up another three-spot in the 4
th to extend the deficit to 7-0.
Wharton was chased after facing three batters in the 5
th, surrendering 12 hits over four-plus innings before giving way to St. Gregory's University transfer
Brendan Yates. Yates and the Northwestern defense were able to get themselves out of a jam with a pickoff and two runners caught stealing by redshirt junior backstop
Harrison Hull.
Judah Zickafoose got the red-and-black on the board in the top of the 6
th with his tenth home run, good for fourth most in the conference.
The Rangers would look to Yates and fellow righty
Brandon Nesseralla to close things out over the final three and two-thirds innings in a run rule shortened affair that the Reddies took 11-1.
Daschal Johnson (2-for-4) and
Luis Cintron (2-for-3, BB) each notched multi-hit games off of HSU starter Bryant Haralson (8-2) in the first game of Friday's doubleheader.
Game 2
Following a tough loss in the series opener,
Matt Goertzen toed the rubber in the nightcap originally scheduled for seven innings. The Fresno, Calif. native held the potent Reddie bats to just one earned run over five innings of work. Goertzen threw five clean frames before running into trouble in the 6
th.
The Rangers opened the scoring in the 4
th with a two-run inning that was kick started by a
Johnnuelle Ponce double down the left field line. Ponce would score on an error by the HSU second baseman, and Northwestern would add another when
Justin Bundy lined one up the middle off starter Zach Eschberger to drive in Zickafoose making it a 2-0 Ranger advantage.
Henderson State was able to tie things up off reliever
Sean Rydell in the 6
th before head coach
Ryan Bowen made the move to senior
Tyler Bernhardt. The 6'5" fifth-year pitcher delivered a gutsy performance out of the bullpen, going 4.1 innings without giving up a hit and dominating hitters with 10 strikeouts.
With the rangers unable to score a leadoff walk in the 7
th, this game was headed for extra innings. Both teams traded scoring chances before the red-and-black finally managed to scrape across a run in the 10
th.
T.J. Kassner started the inning with a single through the right side and advanced to second thanks to a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt by Canadian junior
Greg Carrington. Ponce's heroics were on full display as the center fielder drove in the game winning run with a clutch two-out hit.
Bernhardt breezed through the bottom of the 10
th, striking out the final two batters to secure a much needed 3-2 win over the second place Reddies.
Up Next
Northwestern will return to Clyde Berry Field tomorrow, Saturday April 21 as they look to win the series with HSU. The two teams will square off in the series finale at 12 p.m.
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