OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Oklahoma Christian has scored eight runs in three consecutive games, while St. Edward's has reached 13 in two of the three, splitting today's doubleheader to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 1: Oklahoma Christian 8, St. Edward's 5
St. Edward's appeared in control with a 4-0 lead through four innings, shutting down the Oklahoma Christian offense. However, the tide turned when both teams went to the bullpen in an 8-5 Oklahoma Christian victory.
TREVOR SEBEK opened the game with a leadoff double to right field, and
CARLO FIGUEROA drove him in with an RBI single to center.
DAVIS DREWEK followed with a walk and
TY MURRAY singled to load the bases, setting up
DIEGO SOLIS's RBI on a fielder's choice for the 2-0 lead.
St. Edward's extended the lead with back-to-back home runs from Figueroa and Drewek to start the third inning.
Oklahoma went to its bullpen first, replacing Brooks Snyder with Chris Jones to start the fourth, getting 3.1 productive innings with two strikeouts, three walks, and only a hit and run allowed.
NICK DAVIS came out of the bullpen in the fourth after
JACKSON PETERS issued a leadoff walk and surrendered a Reed Carroll RBI triple and a Justin Spencer RBI double back-to-back. Oklahoma Christian added a third run later in the inning on a Greg Maskarine sacrifice fly.
GEORGE HETTRICK replaced Davis to start the fifth and hit Hank Heiselbet. He surrendered a single to Sloan Laird and then a two-RBI double to Hunter Jones to give the Eagles the lead. After Ethan Box walked, Carroll hit an RBI double to left-center.
AUSTIN ESSEX took the mound, and Spencer drove in a run on a sac fly. Carroll advanced on a wild pitch, and Colby Feris executed a bunt for an RBI single before Maskarine grounded into a double play to end the inning.
St. Edward's put two on with one out in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but Oklahoma Christian turned to closer Matthew Shira, who allowed a run on a groundout before ending the game.
Game 2: St. Edward's 13, Oklahoma Christian 8
St. Edward's quickly rebounded from its loss, scoring five runs in the first inning and jumping out to a 10-2 lead through three. It held on for a 13-8 win in a game in which both teams combined for eight home runs.
The Hilltoppers loaded the bases with one out in the first on a Figueroa single and back-to-back walks to set up Solis's sac fly.
KYLER KERLIN drew a walk, and the Hilltoppers followed with three consecutive singles, getting two RBIs from Flores and one each from
JOEL SHEA and
WESTON SYMES for the 5-0 lead.
Solis added to the lead with a two-run blast to left field with two outs in the second. St. Edward's continued its two-out home runs in the third, getting three consecutive home runs from Sebek, Figueroa, and Drewek for the 10-0 lead.
Oklahoma Christian answered with a two-RBI single through the left side from Carroll in the bottom of the third for its first runs of the game.
Laird and Jones got in on the home run action with back-to-back bombs to start the bottom of the fifth for Oklahoma Christian. The home run derby continued with an Antonio Sabala leadoff blast in the sixth, then a three-run home run from Box in the same inning.
Oklahoma Christian's Tristan Copeland started the seventh, and Flores greeted him with a leadoff home run. Shea followed with a single up the middle, Symes moved him over with a sac bunt, and Sebek drove him in with an RBI double down the right-field line. Drewek ended the inning with an RBI single to right field but was thrown out trying to get to second after the play at the plate for the 13-8 lead.
JAKUB RAYFIELD shut the Eagles down in order in the seventh for the complete-game victory. He surrendered 11 hits and eight runs with four walks and three strikeouts in the victory. Flores hit 2-for-3 with three RBI, Solis tied Flores for the team lead with three RBI, and every Hilltopper in the lineup scored or drove in a run.
St. Edward's improves to 15-17 with a 15-16 conference record with the win. The Hilltoppers will look to take the series win tomorrow with a game at 1:00 p.m.
