ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball battled with No. 18 Southern Arkansas in a doubleheader Friday afternoon, but the Muleriders got the best of the Rangers in the two games to sweep and take the series.
Game three is schedule for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Glass Family Field at Myer Stadium.
Northwestern had a 5-2 lead in the first game of the afternoon, but the Muleriders scored four unanswered runs to take the contest 7-5. In the night cap, the Muleriders scored multiple runs in three innings for a 6-4 victory.
Game 1
After the Muleriders got on the board with two runs in the top of the second, the Rangers got a run back in the bottom of the inning. With Marques Page standing on second base, Brock Randels delivered a single to left center to drive home the run and make it 2-1.
In the home half of the fourth, Northwestern extended its lead to 5-1 with four runs on four hits. The first run of the inning came when Colton Whitehouse took a pitch with the bases loaded to push in Luis Mendoza who singled earlier in the inning. Head coach Ryan Bowen then rolled the dice with a two-way pinch hitter in Bryce Donovan who answered with a triple off the wall to plate Whitehouse, Justin Bundy and Johnnuelle Ponce.
Unfortunately for Northwestern, that would be all the scoring on the game as they left eight runners on base in the final six innings of the game.
Both Whitehouse and Bundy went 3-for-4 at the plate in the opening contest, each scoring a run. Carlos Andujar had two hits in the game, as did Daschal Johnson. The Rangers outhit the Muleriders on the day 14-8.
Beau Britton came into the game late for the Rangers and stopped the bleeding with 2.2 innings of hitless work, striking out three. Jacob Uhing was credited with the as his record moved to 2-1 this season.
Game 2
Much like the way the first game started, the Rangers answered a pair of early Mulerider runs to make it a 2-1 game. Andujar led off the bottom of the first with a first pitch double of the wall in right. Johnson followed with a single to right score Andujar, while moving into scoring position on when the right fielder misplayed the ball.
However, the next three Rangers went down swinging to keep the difference at one run.
Again, the Muleriders got two runs in the top of the third, with the Rangers answering with a run in the bottom of the inning. Johnson drew a walk to lead off the frame and scored a few batters later on a single through the right side by Whitehouse.
Southern Arkansas put two more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning.
Northwestern had an excellent opportunity for a big inning in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases on a walk by Paige, a bunt single from Jake White and an Andujar single to right. Andujar finished the second game with three hits.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Johnson hit a hard fly ball to center, deep enough to score Paige. Two batters later, White crossed the plate on a while pitch. But with Andujar in scoring position, a strikeout ended the inning.
Koby Spicer took the mound for the Rangers in the fourth inning and allowed just two hits in the final 3.2 innings of the game.
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