ALVA, Okla. - Northwestern Oklahoma State Baseball would split the Saturday afternoon doubleheader between the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist and Northwestern. The Bison took game one 7-6 using a big fourth inning, scoring six runs to claim the game one victory after leading 7-0. In the second game, the Rangers would score in four straight innings to open a 6-2 lead. Rangers would lead in all seven innings for the second game. 

The split doubleheader now makes the Rangers move to 16-10 on the season 13-8 in conference play as the Bison will go to 17-8 overall on the season with a 16-5 conference play record. 

GAME ONE:

Northwestern would finish the first game with six runs on 13 hits, with ten coming from the lineup's first five hitters. Yugo Hamakawa would lead the team with three hits in the first game with an RBI and a run scored. Blake Hoffman, Marques Paige, Dylan Norsen would each have two hits in the game. Daschal Johnson would lead the Rangers with 2-RBI. Brett Erickson, Parker Base, Paige would each collect an RBI as well. Base, Jake White, and Erickson would have a hit for the Rangers. 

Dillon Van Oosbree received the start for the Rangers in game one of the doubleheader, allowing five runs in 3.1IP on four hits with one strikeout. Austin Thomason was the first Ranger out of the bullpen, throwing 3.2IP, allowing two runs on five hits with a strikeout. The final pitcher of game one was Grant French, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out one. 

In the top of the first inning, the Rangers starter Van Oosbree held the Bison quiet after a leadoff walk to start the game. The Rangers starter would strike one out in the inning. In the home half of the inning, the Rangers could draw some base runners with a single and a double but would not bring in a run like the Bison in the top half of the inning. 

Oklahoma Baptist would get on the scoreboard first with a run in the second inning; after loading the bases with one out, they would score on a sacrifice fly hit centerfield. Van Oosbree would keep the damage at the one run scored. Northwestern would move a runner into scoring position in the inning following Base stealing second. 

In the third inning, the Bison got one hit, but a groundball double play allowed the Rangers starter to escape with no damage done. 

The game turned in the fourth inning, though, when the Bison rallied for a six-run top half of the inning. A single and two-hit batters would load the bases for OBU hitter Kissel bases when he would make the Rangers pay with a grand slam putting the visiting team up 5-0. The inning did not end there after back-to-back singles set up a 2-RBI double for Enriquez to give the Bison a 7-0 lead. 

The Rangers tried to answer in the home half of the inning, scoring one run as Paige would come around to score on the Base groundout, as the Rangers trailed 7-1 after the four innings of play. 

As the Northwestern pitching started settling in after that fourth inning, the offense tried to climb back into the game after a scoreless fifth inning by Thomason, setting up a two-run home half of the inning. Brett Erickson would score in the inning off of a fielder's choice groundout by Johnson. Paige would then reach Base safely, allowing Johnson to score off of a Bison error.

After a scoreless top half of the inning, Hamakawa would help the Rangers inch closer with an RBI single to left field scoring Base in from third as the Rangers then trailed 7-4. 

The 8th inning is when the Rangers tried to tie the game for the first time since that big fourth inning for the Bison. Northwestern would add two more runs. The inning would start with back-to-back strikeouts, but Norsen would start the 2-out rally with a single followed by a Hamakwa double. Norsen would then score on an RBI infield single by Johnson would then be knocked in by a Paige RBI double making it 7-6 with the tying run in scoring position. The Bison, however, would escape further damage holding the game at 7-6. 

Northwestern had the tying run reach on a walk drawn, but Bison would strike out the game's final two hitters to hold on for a 7-6 defeat for the Rangers. 

Game Two: 

In the second game, Ethan Swanson would receive the game two Saturday afternoon start, throwing four innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out three. Swanson would pick up his second win on the season. Kaleb Honea would throw in relief for him allowing one run in three innings of work on four hits with three strikeouts. 

The offense led by Daschal Johnson completing the game with two hits and two RBI, both most in the Rangers victory. The Rangers had four other players combine for the remaining four runs batted: Marques Paige, Blake Hoffman, Parker Base, and Thomas Beiswanger. Preston Lonadier, Johnson, Paige, and Hoffman each had one run, while Beiswanger led the team with two runs scored. 

The Rangers and Bison pitchers each tossed a scoreless first inning allowing nothing to happen. The second inning is when the Rangers got on the board first with a Hoffman solo home run giving the Rangers the early 1-0 lead in the second inning. 

Swanson would keep the Bison scoreless in their half of the inning before the Rangers would deliver another run. In the home half of the third inning, Beiswanger would hit a solo home run for the team's second of the game in as many innings to open a 2-0 lead. 

The fourth inning was much of the same. Swanson struck out the final Bison in the fourth inning to hold all momentum on the Rangers side, and the offense would use it to strike once again. After a leadoff single by Johnson, Paige would deliver an RBI double to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. Base would then deliver his time around with an RBI single to right field, giving the Rangers a 4-0 advantage. 

Swanson would run into some trouble in the fifth inning, allowing a 2-run home run cutting the Rangers lead in half. Honea would throw in relief to close out the inning from there, keeping the Rangers in front 4-2. 

The Red-and-Black would answer back, though in the home half of the fifth inning with two runs to grab the four-run lead back. With runners on second and third, Johnson would deliver with a 2-RBI single to give the Rangers some insurance runs. 

The Bison would get a run back in the seventh inning as they tried to pull off a comeback in the final inning. However, after an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-3, Honea would close the door from there. Rangers would take the second game of the doubleheader by a final 6-3. 

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