Brown 3-30
3
Okla. Panhandle OPSU 9-21
4
Winner Northwestern Okla. NWOSU 11-8
Okla. Panhandle OPSU
9-21
3
Final
4
Northwestern Okla. NWOSU
11-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Okla. Panhandle OPSU 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 8 3
Northwestern Okla. NWOSU 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X 4 10 2

W: Brown, Rafferty (1-0) L: A. Jacobs (2-1) S: Honea, Kaleb (6)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Rangers Victorious in Mid-week Game Over OPSU

Alva, Okla. – Northwestern was able to keep their winning streak going by taking the mid-week game over Panhandle State 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon at Myers Stadium. The Rangers scored two runs late to retake the lead and never trail after the fifth inning. 
 
The Red-and-Black offense was led by the middle of the order on Tuesday, with their 4-6 hitters each recording an RBI with Grant French in the five-hole, tallying two RBI. Every spot in the lineup from 1-8 recorded a hit during the mid-week game. Daschal Johnson and Gavin Mendoza led the team with two hits. Thomas Beiswanger, Garrett Crone, French, Yugo Hamakawa, Chase Orrock and Marques Paige each had one. Paige and Crone drove in the other two runs for Northwestern, with an RBI apiece. Johnson led the Rangers with two runs scored, followed by Hamakawa and French with one. 
 
The pitching effort was by committee on Tuesday in the victory. The Rangers would use five pitchers holding Panhandle State to only three runs. Connor Gibson received the start going four innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts. Harry Park relieved Gibson. He surrendered two walks and allowed two runs. Rafferty Brown would come in to pitch with two runners on in the fifth inning. He allowed a run on three hits while striking out three and collect his first win of the season in relief. Colby Carlson would pitch 3.0 scoreless frames, surrendering a hit and striking out two batters. Kaleb Honea would come on to close the game out in the ninth inning for his sixth save of the season; with another scoreless inning, Honea's ERA falls to 0.60, and he has not allowed an earned run in his last eight outings, spanning over 14 innings since February 21st.
 
The Rangers would score early on Tuesday, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead following a two-run bottom of the first. Hamakawa would get things going with a one-out single back up the middle. Johnson would single to left, followed by a Paige RBI single to center, scoring Hamakawa. French would hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Johnson to score to give the home team a 2-0 lead.
 
The game would remain a 2-0 lead for the Red-and-Black until the fifth inning when OPSU got on the board. Chris Gavin would reach on a leadoff walk; then Zack Madrigal would be walked, Forcing NWOSU to go to the bullpen. Mekhi Edwards would reach on a bunt single to the pitcher; Brown would field and throw the ball away down the first baseline allowing Gavin and Madrigal to score. Ethan Hunt would single to center to advance Edwards to third, putting the runners on the corners with one out. Lane Field would drive in Edwards with an RBI single to center. Brown would settle in, striking out two Aggies to end the inning with Panhandle State in front 3-2.
 
Northwestern's offense would answer back to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Johnson would smash a one-out triple to left. Then he would come in to score on a two-out double by French. Crone would follow with an RBI single to score French.
 
Carlson would come in and silent the OPSU bats, only allowing one runner to reach base from the sixth to the eighth inning before turning the ball over to Honea in the ninth. Honea would throw 15 pitches in the ninth inning setting the three batters he faced down in order to save the game and secure a 4-3 victory. The sixth save for Honea makes him tied for the national lead in saves at the Division II level. 
 
The Red-and-Black improved to 11-8 on the season. Northwestern is now on a five-game winning streak. NWOSU has beaten the Aggies in three straight games and holds a 14-3 record against them.
 
The Rangers are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Great America Conference as they head into the weekend series at Southern Nazarene this weekend. Northwestern will travel to Bethany, Okla., to face SNU on Friday at 2 pm.
 
For the latest news and updates on NWOSU Baseball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com.
 
 
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