SEARCY, Ark. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball team fell to Harding in both games of the doubleheader on Friday.
Game 1
The Rangers wasted no time getting on the board, as
Alex Dabrowski drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and came home on a wild pitch to give Northwestern the early 1-0 advantage going to the bottom of the first.
Will Kates shut down the Bisons for the first two innings, but Harding tied the game in the bottom of the third at 1-1 and eventually took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. The pitching duel continued throughout the fifth inning, but the Bisons tacked on another run to go up 3-1 through six innings.
The Ranger bats came to life in the top of the seventh, as
Blake Mattern bunted for a single,
Chase Gordon drew a walk, and
Tyler Hogan smashed a single through the right side to bring the game within one run. Northwestern continued to rally with
Joel Lindahl doubling to left field to tie the game at 3-3. Kates continued to deal late in the game, as he held the Bisons scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings. The Bisons scored in the bottom in the ninth to get the walk-off win, 4-3.
Only three Rangers, Mattern, Hogan, and Lindahl had hits, with Hogan and Lindahl each getting an RBI. Kates struck out a season-high seven batters in eight innings of work.
Game 2
The Rangers and Bisons battled in another pitching duel, with the Rangers striking first on a triple from Mattern, followed by a single from Gordon to put Northwestern ahead 1-0. The Bisons answered in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs to take the lead, 2-1. In the top of the sixth, the Rangers put a runner in scoring position with Gordon reaching on a walk and
Brody Harris and Hogan grounding out to move the pinch runner
Brandon Jennings to third. Jennings could not get home, and the Ranger rally was cut short in the seventh to give Harding the 2-1 win. Six different Rangers recorded a hit, while Gordon had the only RBI for Northwestern.
The Rangers will be back in action tomorrow to finish out the series at Harding, but because of potential inclement weather, the first pitch is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.
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