Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DURANT, Okla. (Feb. 25, 2014) – The Ballpark in Durant long has been a difficult place for opposing teams to win, what with Southeastern Oklahoma State's strong baseball tradition. Oklahoma Christian re-learned that lesson on Tuesday afternoon.
Southeastern posted a doubleheader sweep of the Eagles, hanging on to win 6-5 in the first game, then taking a 13-1 decision in the second game. It was the first meeting between the Eagles and the Savage Storm since OC revived its program in 2008.
Southeastern (9-5) never trailed during the first game, although OC (4-5) made it interesting in the final inning.
The Storm went up 3-0 in the second inning on a two-run single by Trevor Bowen, but OC cut the gap to 3-2 in the top of the third, as Blake Stringer's sacrifice fly scored Markus Carr, who had been hit by a pitch, and Jordan Lopez's double down the left-field line brought home Robert Rosser, who had singled.
Southeastern scored twice more in the bottom of the third off OC starter Garrett Sumpter (1-1) – with Josh Smith hitting a solo home run – and went up 6-2 in the fourth. OC scratched an unearned run across in the fifth and rallied in the seventh off Southeastern starter Nick Johnson (2-2) and reliever Mason Crenshaw, loading the bases with one out.
Cody Rosecrans' sacrifice fly scored A.J. Florence to make it 6-4 and Stringer followed with a RBI single to pull the Eagles within a run before Lopez flied out to deep right field to end the game. Crenshaw picked up his fourth save.
Florence led off the second game with a solo home run, but that proved to be the extent of OC's offense, as the Eagles managed only three more hits against Southeastern starter Jaime Paxton (1-0) and reliever Mathew Benedict.
The Storm scored four runs in the first inning against OC starter Zach Loomis (0-1) and added four more in the fourth and five in the fifth. Collin Sefcik and Jacob Carter had four RBIs each for Southeastern.
OC will make the 632-mile journey to Laredo, Texas, later this week to play Heartland Conference foe Texas A&M International on Friday and Saturday.
