CHICKASHA, Okla. (Mar. 24, 2011) – The Oklahoma Christian baseball team suffered an 8-5 defeat on the road to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Thursday.

Things got off to a slow start, as neither squad was able to score during the first three innings. In the fourth inning, the Drovers put two runs on the board and followed up with two more in the fifth for a 4-0 lead.

In the sixth, USAO put up a single run before sending three more runners home in the seventh to lead 8-0 heading into the eighth.

The Eagles finally responded putting three runs up in the eighth to trail by five heading into the final inning.

Josh Balch was the first to score for the Eagles getting on base with a double and then heading home two batters later on a passed ball. With the bases loaded, Tyler Gipson took to the plate to hit a single to right center field to drive home Taylor Parcus and Dillon Andrews.

In a last effort to stay in the game, the Eagles put up two more runs in the ninth to close out the game three runs shy of the Drovers. Balch scored again for the Eagles, this time on an error, prior to a run home from Andrews on a single from Price.

Unable to tie it up, OC suffered the 8-5 defeat. Despite such, solid plate performances were seen from Andrews and Gipson who both went 2-for-5 while Balch led going 2-for-4 at the plate.

With the loss, the Eagles carry a 14-8 regular season record with a 6-5 record for conference play. The OC baseball team will return home to Dobson Field to finish out their series with USAO on Saturday in a double header beginning at 1 p.m.

-OC-