EDMOND, Okla. — After three straight wins to open the weekend, St. Edward's saw its nine-game win streak come to an end Sunday afternoon as Oklahoma Christian salvaged the series finale with a 16-3 victory at Dobson Baseball Field.
Oklahoma Christian seized control early and never relinquished it, capitalizing on a pair of big innings to build a commanding lead before St. Edward's could settle in.
The Eagles struck first in the opening inning, stringing together three hits to plate a pair of runs for a quick advantage. Oklahoma Christian then broke the game open in the second, taking advantage of a costly defensive miscue to extend the rally when a bases-loaded situation set the stage for Reed Thomas, who turned on a pitch and launched a grand slam down the right-field line to push the margin to 7-0.
St. Edward's finally found a spark in the fourth inning from the bottom of its lineup. After two quick outs, second baseman DAWSON STUTZ jumped on a pitch and drove it deep to right field for a solo home run to briefly halt the momentum.
Oklahoma Christian responded immediately with the decisive frame of the afternoon. The Eagles erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a three-run double from Hunter Sandifer and a three-run homer from Trey Migl, stretching the lead to 1611 and putting the game firmly out of reach.
The Hilltoppers continued to battle late. In the seventh inning, BEN MERRIMAN delivered a single to load the bases before NICO RUEDAS reached on a throwing error that allowed DAWSON STUTZ and AUSTIN PAGE to score, cutting the final margin to 16-3.
Ruedas paced the Hilltoppers offensively with two hits, including a double, while Stutz scored twice and accounted for St. Edward's lone RBI with his solo homer. The Hilltoppers drew seven walks on the day but were limited to four hits overall.
Despite the loss, the Hilltoppers leave Edmond with the series victory and momentum still firmly on their side after winning nine of their last 10 games. St. Edward's improves to 18-7, continuing its strong early-season run as conference play intensifies.
