SHAWNEE, Okla. (March 15, 2009) – Oklahoma Christian University won a wild 17-11 baseball game Sunday over Oklahoma Baptist University to take the season series between the Sooner Athletic Conference rivals.
The Eagles had 16 hits and scored in seven of the nine innings played to record their highest run total of the season. Oklahoma Christian improved to 8-12 overall and 4-8 in the SAC with the victory. Oklahoma Baptist is now 18-8 and 5-7. OC won 5-4, and lost 9-2 against OBU on Saturday.
Six Eagles had two or more hits in Sunday's ballgame (which was a makeup from Thursday's regularly-scheduled game). Jordan Price went 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs, Jay White was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Chance Nichols was 2-for-2 with a pair of bombs and five driven in. Ray Long also homered for OC in a 2-for-5 afternoon at the plate.
Long's homer put OC ahead 1-0 in the first inning before OBU jumped out 2-1 with a pair of runs in its half, and it was 3-1 Bison after two frames.
But the Eagles plated seven unanswered runs over the next two-and-a-half innings to go on top for good.
Price blasted a two-run homer in the third to tie the score at 3-3 before doubling in two runs in the fourth inning to put OC ahead 5-3. Then in the fifth inning, Nichols launched his first round tripper – a three-run shot – over the centerfield fence to pad the lead to 8-3.
OBU plated three runs in their half with two coming on a Chad Dawkins home run. Then OC answered with four more runs in the top of the sixth. Tyler Gipson got the inning started with a RBI hit, then Josh Balch sent a run home with a fielder's choice and White brought in two with a double to up the Eagles' cushion to 12-6.
The Eagles' lead was 12-9 after OBU got three runs back in the home half of the sixth. Two Bison touched home when Billy Thomas went deep in the inning.
The teams then traded two-run eighth innings – OC's scores coming Nichols' second homer – before the Eagles tallied three runs in the ninth to seal the win. The final-inning scores came from a two-RBI Chris Miller double and a run-scoring single from White.
OC's Ryan Morris (3-2) battled through the hitter-friendly day to pick up his third win of the year. He scattered nine runs on 11 hits over seven innings while striking out five. Riley Jones struck out one in the final two innings where he surrendered two runs.
Gipson finished the game 2-for-4 with a RBI and Davis was 2-for-6. The Bison were led by Thomas' 3-for-4 showing, and Josh Palmer (3-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up eight runs in the first five innings.
The Eagles play three games in the next four days beginning with home dates against Midlands Lutheran (Neb.) (Monday) and Hastings (Neb.) (Tuesday). Both games will be nine-inning affairs beginning at 3 p.m. OC re-enters SAC play on Thursday at St. Gregory's University for a single game at 2 p.m.
-OC-
