WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball lost the first of a three-game series to Southwestern Oklahoma State Friday when the Bulldogs handed the Rangers a 12-2 loss in a run-rule shortened 8-inning contest.

In the final weekend of Great American Conference play, the Rangers headed south down highway 281 for a showdown with their longtime rivals. With the 2017 series ending in a doubleheader split thanks to some severe weather in Alva, the Rangers were looking to settle some unfinished business from a year ago.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the 2^nd off senior Walker Wharton (L, 6-4) after two base hits and a pair of fielder's choice's, picking up what would be the only earned run off the seasoned lefty in his four-plus innings of work. SWOSU added another in the 3^rd when Chase Duncan hit a two-out triple to right center, but the ball was misplayed by centerfielder Johnnuelle Ponce allowing Duncan to come around to score.

Wharton would battle through four innings to keep the deficit at two, but a leadoff single followed by a throwing error forced Ryan Bowen to reach for his bullpen as the first-year skipper looked to Sean Rydell to get the Rangers back in the dugout. Rydell did just that, inducing two groundouts and a strikeout to end the 5^th down 3-0.

Harrison Hull (2-for-3, 3B, RBI) was able to chase SWOSU starter Brendan Peitsmeyer (W, 4-1) with a hard-hit triple to center that scored Luis Mendoza who had worked a leadoff walk. After a pitching change, T.J. Kassner cashed in Hull with a sac-fly to left to make it a 3-2 ballgame in the 7^th.

A bright spot in an otherwise disappointing loss was the offensive collaboration as eight of the nine Ranger hitters reached safely (8 H, 3 BB) with the ninth collecting an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

Rydell was able to throw two strong frames for the Rangers but ran into trouble in the bottom of the 7^th when the Bulldogs hit a double and then a triple to lead off the inning. Bowen made the move to last week's co-GAC Pitcher of the Week in Tyler Bernhardt to try to calm the SWOSU bats, but the tall right-hander fared no better as the Bulldogs would touch him up for five runs. Redshirt sophomore Baron Phillips was able to put an end to the rally, but not before Southwestern sent 14 batters to the plate to put up eight runs and extend their lead to 11-2.

After reliever Jake Cowan struck out the side in the 8^th, SWOSU added two more runs to take a 12-2 decision in eight innings.

Up Next
Northwestern and Southwestern will conclude the regular season tomorrow, Saturday April 28 at the SWOSU Athletic Complex in Weatherford, Okla. in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
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