Goodwell,Oklahoma- Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball played a non-conference game against Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Tuesday afternoon. The Red-and-Black would use a fast start to take control in this game, scoring in the first three innings before opening a significant lead to win the Tuesday game 9-2. The Tuesday victory completes the season sweep over OPSU for the 2021 season including the fourth consecutive win against the Aggies.

The win improves the Rangers record to 20-11 overall on the season, keeping their Great American Conference record at 15-9, tied for fourth in the conference. The victory is the team's third consecutive win in a row. 

Connor Gibson received the Tuesday afternoon start for the Rangers pitching staff allowing two runs (1ER) over 3.2IP of work. He would allow three hits, with three walks, while striking out five Aggie hitters. Emilio Lovato would be the first out of the bullpen throwing 3.2IP, allowing just one hit with two walks while striking out seven Aggies hitters allowing zero runs and earning his first win on the season. Rafferty Brown was next out of the bullpen, throwing 0.2IP, striking out one before Jermey Sawyer and Koby Spicer would close the game out in the ninth inning. The Red-and-Black bullpen would combine for 5.1 scoreless innings on Tuesday. 

The Red-and-Black offense would score nine runs on 11 hits, with eight different Rangers having at least one hit on the afternoon. Dylan Norsen would lead the team with three hits in the game, followed by Marques Paige and Grant French, each having two. The following five hits would come from Gavin Mendoza, Preston Lonadier, Blake Hoffman, Daschal Johnson, and Justin Gordon. Paige led the Rangers with 3-RBI in the game, two coming off a 2-run home run for one of three home runs hit by the Rangers. Johnson and French had the other two Rangers home runs. Hoffman had the final RBI for the Rangers. Gordon, Johnson, and Paige led the Rangers with two runs, followed by Thomas Beiswanger, Hoffman, and French rounding out the Rangers runs. 

The Rangers got things started early in the first inning, working back-to-back walks. After Beiswanger would steal third, Paige would hit him home with a sacrifice fly to right-center field to open a 1-0 Rangers lead. Gibson would work around a walk holding the Panhandle scoreless. 

Coming off of his GAC player of the week, French would stay hot at the plate with a solo home run to right-center field to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. 

Johnson would extend the Rangers lead following another scoreless inning by Gibson. The Texas native would hit a home run to left field for his 3rd in the last four games. Rangers would extend their lead 3-0.

In the fourth inning, the Aggies would get on the board for the first time with a 2- run home run to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2. 

The Rangers would answer right back, though in their half of the 5th inning. After Johnson reached base safely, Paige would deliver a 2-Run home run putting the Rangers back up three runs, 5-2. Northwestern would then hit back-to-back doubles, with Hoffman hitting the first followed by French for his 2nd RBI of the game and a 6-2 Rangers lead. 

Lovato would continue to settle in for the Rangers as the game would stay 6-2 through the seventh. Lovato would strikeout out six straight batters to keep the Rangers in front the whole way. 

The game would stay 6-2 until the 8th inning, when the Rangers would score three runs in the inning. After the Red-and-Black loaded the bases, Hoffman would deliver, an RBI sacrifice fly to right field scoring a run. With the Rangers threatening to score more two wild pitches would allow two more runners to cross the plate for a 9-2 Rangers lead. 

The Rangers would escape a bases-loaded jam for the second time of the game, this time from Brown would strikeout out one batter and forcing the next to fly out to right to hold the game at 9-2 after eight innings of play.

In the home half of the ninth inning, Oklahoma State Panhandle University would threaten to score again as they would load the bases once more. However, Spicer would enter the game for the final two outs escaping any damage, forcing to popups into foul territory to lock down the Rangers 9-2 victory over OPSU, completing the season sweep over the Aggies. 

The Rangers will travel to Russellville, Arkansas, to take on Arkansas Tech for a three-game Great American Conference series starting Friday and concluding on Saturday afternoon. Rangers will enter the series two games back of Arkansas Tech for first place in the conference. 

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