Box Score SHAWNEE, Okla. (Feb. 10, 2017) – Three of Oklahoma Christian's transfers from NCAA Division I baseball programs shined for the Eagles on Friday night against one of OC's biggest rivals.
Right-handed pitcher
Dalton Rentz struck out 10 batters in six innings and
Cory Duran and
Isaac Holt each homered to lead OC to a 5-2 win over Oklahoma Baptist at Bison Field at Ford Park.
The win was the first for OC (3-2) over OBU (2-1) since 2014 and gave the Eagles the early edge in a three-game series that will continue on Saturday with a doubleheader at OC's Dobson Field, starting at 1 p.m. Under longtime coach Bobby Cox, OBU is a traditionally strong program, one that is coming off a season in which it won the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series title.
"The offense showed up and got those guys some runs and the pitching did a really good job taking care of their offense," OC coach
Lonny Cobble said. "OBU is a really good team and is very good offensively. They've got some good arms. It was nice to get on those guys early and kind of let the pitching settle in and do their thing."
OC seized control with a three-run outburst in the top of the first inning, scoring all those runs with two outs.
Lane Paul's single to left field scored
Zach Morrow, who had reached on a bloop single, and Duran – a transfer from Incarnate Word – followed with a no-doubter over the left-center field fence off Bison starter Tyler Gibson (0-1).
Staked to the early lead, Rentz – a transfer from Auburn – went to work. He twice struck out the side and gave up only one earned run. Two OC errors in the fourth led to OBU's first run, but Rentz (2-0) escaped serious damage by striking out Nick Burnham with the bases loaded and two outs.
Holt – a transfer from Nebraska-Omaha – hit a two-run homer to left field off Gibson in the fifth to extend OCs lead to 5-1. OBU scored once in the fifth, as Dustyn Cook led off with a single and Brett Berghammer followed with a RBI double, but Rentz retired the next three batters to end the threat.
"He was commanding his fastball and hitting his spots," Cobble said of Rentz. "I just thought he did a really good job. He pitched his game."
In the sixth, Rentz struck out the side for the second time in the game before giving way to the OC bullpen.
Gabe Rodery,
Jake Collins and
Jake Moore combined to allow one hit and strike out four Bison in three innings, with Moore pitching a perfect ninth inning to record his first save of the baseball season.
"We're going to try to use some (bullpen) guys late," Cobble said. "If the starters can get us through six or seven (innings), that's kind of the plan. Then we'll turn it over to the bullpen and let the bullpen and the talent we've got there kind of take over and hopefully keep people at bay and win games."
Lonny Cobble discusses the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1VFAqLexyA&feature=youtu.be
