Box Score LAREDO, Texas (March 25, 2016) – After a lackluster offensive showing in the opening game of its series at Texas A&M International, Oklahoma Christian spent the last two games reasserting its dominance over the Dustdevils.
OC matched its season high with 19 hits – including four by
Austin Orth and three each by
Alex Polston,
Robert Rosser and
Jake Baxter – and rolled to a 14-5 win over TAMIU in the decisive game of the series on Friday afternoon at Jorge Haynes Field.
OC (15-12, 6-3 Heartland Conference) has won each of its first three league series, having also taken two of three games from then-No. 9 St. Edward's (Texas) and Rogers State. The Eagles are tied with Lubbock Christian (Texas) for fourth in the Heartland, one game behind co-leaders St. Edward's and Arkansas-Fort Smith and a half-game behind Newman (Kan.).
The Eagles had their 10-game winning streak over TAMIU (12-16, 3-6) snapped with a 6-2 loss in the series opener, but OC rebounded with a 9-0 win in the second game of the series on Thursday before Friday's rout. OC is 12-2 all-time against the Dustdevils.
Of OC's 19 hits, 12 of them were for extra bases. Polston had two doubles and a triple, Orth had two doubles and a home run, Rosser had a double and a triple and
Derek Jones and
Dylan Fazekas each homered. Polston and Jones each finished with three RBIs while Baxter had four, giving him a team-high 34 for the season.
The Eagles started slowly on Friday. TAMIU tied the game 3-3 with a three-run fourth inning and the Dustdevils rallied within 6-5 in the sixth on Sergio Pollorena's two-run home run.
But OC broke the game open with four runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. Polston's two-run double and
Jake Baxter's two-run single keyed the seventh-inning outburst, while Fazekas and Jones both homered during the eighth inning.
OC reliever
Jake Moore (2-1) proved to be the beneficiary of the Eagles' offensive outburst, picking up the pitching win after striking out seven batters in his 2 2/3-inning stint. Justin Diaz (1-2), the second of five pitchers used by the Dustdevils, took the loss, allowing three hits and two runs in 2/3 of an inning.
The Eagles will host nonconference foe Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before a home conference series against Newman (Kan.) that will start next Friday at noon.
