ALVA, Okla. – Baseball can be a cruel game sometimes, and no matter how hard the ball is hit, it can be hit right at a fielder.
That was much of the story of the game Friday night at Glass Family Field at Myers Stadium as the Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball team fell at the hands of Southeastern Oklahoma State, 3-1.
Northwestern's lone run on the evening came in the bottom of the fourth with the Savage Storm leading 2-0. Johnnuelle Ponce, who has been on a tear as of late, continued to get on base with a leadoff triple. He scored on a Luis Mendoza single to left field.
With an early miscue that led to a couple of runs, it was an excellent day in the field, especially from the outfield. All three Rangers outfielders, Daschal Johnson in left, Ponce in center and Justin Bundy in right picked out assists to end an inning on three separate occasions.
Ranger pitching did a good job as well. Kaleb Honea, who took the loss, threw the ball well in the start as he went 6.2 innings and struck out five. Dylan Van Oosbree came on in relief and allowed just one hit in 2.1 innings with two strikeouts.
The two foes will take the field tomorrow in a doubleheader to close the series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with game two beginning approximately 30 minutes after the completion of game one.
The Rangers had multiple opportunities to put runs on the board in an attempt to cut into the lead or potentially overtake the savage storm.
In the sixth inning, the Rangers loaded the bases after walks to Ponce and Mendoza that sandwiched a Bryce Donovan single. Jake Darrow then hit a hard shot down the third base line, but the fielder made a great diving grab to snag the ball, touch the base and make a good throw to first to complete the double play.
Northwestern had a runner in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth inning as well, including a Bundy leadoff triple in the eighth, but they were left on base when the third out occurred. In total, the Rangers left 11 runners on base.
Johnson and Bundy each had two hits in the game, and Ponce finished 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
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