RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – A big inning by Arkansas Tech was too much for the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rangers to fight back from Saturday afternoon in Russellville, Arkansas. The Rangers fell to the Wonder Boys, 12-11, to suffer a Great American Conference sweep.
Johnnuelle Ponce put the Rangers on top when hit the first of two homeruns on the day in the top of the first inning with a two-out, two-run home run over the left field wall to make to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Luis Cintron came across on the home run after reaching on a single two batters before.
Ponce had his two home runs and Cintron finished the game with two hits, as well as a pair of walks.
ATU responded in its half of the inning with a pair of runs on back-to-back bases loaded singles that just found holes to tie the game at two.
In the top of the fourth, Northwestern went back on top as Luis Mendoza drew a walk, and after he moved to second on a single by Marques Paige, he scored on a throwing error on a grounder off the bat of Justin Gordon.
Gordon made his first career start in the lineup for the Rangers at short.
Paige scored the second run of the fourth inning when Daschal Johnson fouled out, but the momentum of the play allowed Paige to reach safely at home.
Ponce extended the Northwestern lead in the fifth inning with solo shot to lead off the inning and Carlos Andujar singled in Johnson in the sixth inning to make it a 6-2 advantage.
After Justin Bundy crossed the plate in the top of the seventh when he singled and scored on a Mendoza sacrifice fly, the game changed dramatically in the bottom of the inning. Arkansas Tech plated nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on just five hits. The Rangers allowed three free passes, hit two batters and had three errors in the inning.
Free bases and extra at bats allowed the Rangers to get back into the game in the next half inning. Johnson, Cintron and Andujar each walked to start the inning, and following a strikeout, Bundy drew a walk to push in Johnson. Cintron then scored on a wild pitch, a Bryce Donovan sacrifice fly added another run and Bundy then went on another wild pitch.
Donovan had a good day at the plate. Despite his lone run batted in with the sac fly, Donovan finished the game 3-for-4.
The Rangers made the game a 12-11 difference with four runs on no hits in the eighth.
Brandon Nesseralla entered in the bottom of the inning and set the Wonder Boys down in order, two on strikes, to give the Rangers one last chance. Unfortunately, despite a couple battles at the plate by Ranger hitters, Arkansas Tech held on for the win.
The Rangers fell to 19-18 with the loss and have dropped four straight contests. They have an opportunity to get back on track during midweek action when they head to Goodwell, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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