Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 11, 2017) – While a sweep over powerful Oklahoma Baptist would have been nice, Oklahoma Christian instead settled Saturday for a series win.

On a gorgeous mid-February day with temperatures in the 80s, OC beat the Bison 7-6 to take the series, but OBU rallied for a 10-4 win in the second game at Dobson Field to prevent a sweep.

As it was, OC (4-3) – which won 5-2 on Friday night at OBU – posted its first series win over the Bison since 2010, when both baseball programs were members of the NAIA and Sooner Athletic Conference.

OBU (3-2), which won the 2016 National Christian College Athletic Association title and is in its final season of transition into NCAA Division II, traditionally has provided a solid measuring stick for the Eagles. OC coach Lonny Cobble hopes that's the case again this year.

"Those guys are really good," Cobble said. "They're going to win a lot of games this year. It was a big series win for us. You would always like to have three (wins) after you take the first two. It's disappointing with the last one, because we definitely had our opportunities, but I'm very pleased that we got better from last week to this week. We just need to continue to get better each week."

In the first game, the Eagles' pitching depth proved critical, as OC used six pitchers in the seven-inning contest. OBU jumped on OC starter Dylan Fazekas for two runs in the top of the first, but the Eagles answered with four off OBU starter Carson McPherson in the bottom of the inning, two scoring on a double to left field by Hayden Strobel.

The Bison rallied to tie the game at 5-5 with a two-run fifth, highlighted by Josh Timms' solo home run, but OBU reliever A.J. Merkel (0-1) was wild in the bottom of the inning, hitting three batters, walking another and throwing two wild pitches that allowed OC to reclaim the lead at 6-5.

OC added an insurance run in the sixth when Lane Paul singled, took second base on a wild pitch, third base on a passed ball and scored on Cory Duran's sacrifice fly. That run proved critical when Timms tripled to right field off OC closer Jake Moore to lead off the seventh and eventually scored.

OC reliever Connor Litterell (1-0) picked up the win with 1/3 of an inning of work, entering with two outs in the fifth to retire OBU's Kevin Olmeda to end the inning. Moore recorded his second save in as many days.

"With our bullpen, if we can get to the fifth, sixth, seventh, we feel pretty comfortable with the guys we've got in the back end of that bullpen," Cobble said. "Last night, I thought our guys did a really good job, and then again today in the first game."

The Eagles led the second game 4-3 after a two-run double by Strobel in the fifth inning, but OBU jumped on OC reliever Kolton Brown (1-1) for four runs in the sixth, with Olmeda delivering a two-run double that put the Bison up 7-4.

OC twice advanced a runner to third base in the final three innings but couldn't muster a rally. OBU sealed the win with two more runs in the eighth and another in the ninth.

OBU starter Jinny Parra (2-0) pitched five innings, striking out four, to pick up the win.

The Eagles will be off until Friday, when they will host Northwest Missouri State in the opener of a three-game weekend series.

Lonny Cobble discusses the doubleheader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGxGRquW1aM&feature=em-upload_owner