Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (April 30, 2016) – Baseball's lack of a time clock, and defensive mistakes by No. 7-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas), played into Oklahoma Christian's hands on Saturday afternoon at Dobson Field.

Lubbock Christian jumped to a 10-2 lead and appeared to be cruising, but OC chipped away and eventually overtook the Chaparrals while posting a wild 12-11 win in the decisive third game of the baseball series. Brady Baugh reached on an error and scored on a single by Jared Sterling in the bottom of the eighth for the decisive run.

Lubbock Christian (32-15, 17-7 Heartland Conference) outhit the Eagles 18-9, but OC took advantage of five errors and six hit batsmen by the Chaparrals in dealing LCU its first conference series loss of the season. It was the second straight season in which the Eagles took a series from LCU, and OC improved its record against the eight ranked teams in the latest NCAA Division II South Central Region poll to 8-4.

Lubbock Christian remained in second place in the league standings, one game ahead of OC (27-18, 16-8). Fifth-place St. Mary's (Texas) lost 9-2 at Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday, meaning OC will need to win just one of three games against UAFS next week to clinch a berth in the four-team Heartland tournament.

OC could finish as high as second in the Heartland, depending on the outcome of the UAFS series and LCU's series against Texas-Permian Basin.

Every Lubbock Christian starter but one had at least one basehit on Saturday and three Chaparrals – Brandon Rix, Hunter McFall and Ryan Rogers – had three hits each.

Lubbock Christian scored four runs in the first, two on a double by Tony Reyes off OC starter Bradley Horn. OC pulled within 4-2 in the bottom of the first, but Rix hit a two-run homer off Sterling (who relieved Horn) to highlight a three-run fourth, and a bases-loaded double by Ryan Rogers off OC reliever Garett Hill in the top of the fifth made it 10-2.

But in the bottom of the fifth, OC began taking advantage of the wildness of Lubbock Christian starter Russell Reber, who hit six batters with pitches, the second-highest single-game total in Heartland history. Reber hit Derek Jones and Robert Rosser to start the inning and Jake Baxter followed with a RBI double. Kyle Lacy's single scored Rosser and Baxter before Ben McKenzie doubled. Austin Orth brought home Lacy and McKenzie, pulling OC within 10-7.

The first four OC batters reached base against LCU reliever Christian Buatte in the sixth, and even though the Eagles left the bases loaded, they scored twice more, on a single by Baxter (his third RBI of the game) and when LCU shortstop Jaime Bustamante mishandled a grounder by McKenzie.

Also in the sixth, OC's bullpen began to assert itself. Tanner Foster pitched two solid innings, surrendering only a solo home run to McFall that extended LCU's lead to 11-9 in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, OC tied the game, as Sterling walked, Zac Cobble reached on an error while trying to sacrifice Sterling up a base and Derek Jones hit a two-run double to right field off Buatte.

OC closer Jake Moore (5-1) entered to start the eighth inning and retired all six Chaparrals he faced. In the bottom of the eighth, Rix, Lubbock Christian's third baseman, hurried a throw after fielding a two-out chopper by Baugh off LCU reliever Collin Fraley (1-2). The ball bounced past Rogers, the first baseman, and Baugh ended up on third base.

Up next, Sterling hit an excuse-me single to center field while apparently trying to check his swing and Baugh scored easily. Two popups and a fly ball later, the Eagles had an unlikely win.