ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball team split their doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist on Saturday.
Game 1
Ouachita Baptist opened up the game with two runs in the top of the first, but the Rangers got runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second with singles by
Jailon Goodfellow and
Joel Lindahl.
Cole Barton got the bases loaded with a walk, and
Matthew Bailey brought the first run in for Northwestern by grounding into a fielder's choice.
Jason McCarty tied the game with a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to bring Lindahl home, and
Brody Harris put the Rangers in front by blasting a ball to right field and reaching third base on an error.
The Tigers tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Elias Hererra shut down the Tigers with the bases loaded and only one out to keep the game tied at 3-3. Northwestern got another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, as Barton blasted a double to right field, but could not get home. Ouachita added another run in the fifth to go up 4-3, but the Rangers loaded the bases with a walk from
Alex Dabrowski, a single from
Blake Mattern, and Goodfellow getting hit by a pitch.
After a two-run top of the seventh for Ouachita, Dabrowski doubled to right field and moved to third on a wild pitch while Gordon singled to put the runners at the corners. Dabrowski came home on a passed ball to bring the Rangers within two, and Goodfellow smacked a doble to left field to cut the deficit to one. Goodfellow moved to third on a single from Lindahl, and Barton tied the game at 6-6 on a bunt single. Bailey drew a walk to get the bases loaded, and McCarty gave Northwestern the lead, 7-6, by grounding into a fielder's choice.
Dabrowski and Mattern drew leadoff walks in the eighth, and Gordon kept the Ranger offense hot by ripping a single to right field to move the Ranger lead to 8-6. Goodfellow blew the game open with a three-run homer to center field to give the Rangers their largest lead of the day, 11-6.
Goodfellow led the Rangers in hits with three, and also led in RBI with four.
Game 2
The Rangers struck first in the second game of the doubleheader, as Lindahl singled up the middle to start the second inning before stealing second. Lindahl raced home on a wild pitch to give Northwestern the 1-0 advantage, and the game turned into a pitching duel until the bottom of the fifth when McCarty doubled to center field and Harris moved him to third on a sacrifice bunt. Dabrowski brought him home by reaching on an error to extend the Ranger lead to 2-0, but Ouachita responded with six runs in the top of sixth to take the lead, 6-2.
Lindahl and Barton drew back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the sixth, and McCarty smashed a single to give the Rangers a run back and cut the deficit down to three. Harris roped a single to center field to load the bases, and Dabrowski brought Barton home on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead down to 6-4, but the Rangers could not complete the comeback and fell to the Tigers.
Lindahl and McCarty led the Rangers in hits with two, while Dabrowski and McCarty each had an RBI.
The Rangers will be back in action tomorrow at noon at Myers Stadium to close out the series against the Tigers.
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