Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY (March 24, 2017) – A stout south wind meant the baseballs flew out of Dobson Field at a high rate on Friday, and Oklahoma Christian's Chad Kennedy took full advantage of the situation.

The junior outfielder from Hooker hit a home run in each game as OC rallied to beat Texas A&M International 8-5, then 12-7, giving the Eagles their first Heartland Conference series win of the season. OC will go for the series sweep on Saturday at noon.

TAMIU (6-17, 1-7 Heartland) hit four home runs to three for OC (16-14, 3-5), but the Dustdevils couldn't sustain early leads in either game.

In the opener, Abel Aguilar's solo home run off OC starter Dalton Rentz (5-2) in the first inning put TAMIU ahead. Lane Paul answered with a two-run shot for the Eagles off Devon Torres (1-5) in the bottom of the inning before Erasmo Gonzalez Jr. tied the game for TAMIU with another solo homer in the second.

Alexander Cabezas doubled down the left-field line and scored on a single by Jeremy Valadez in the fourth to give the Dustdevils a 3-2 lead.

Garrett Wages put OC ahead for good at 5-3 with a bases-loaded triple to center field in the fourth. After Cabezas' RBI single in the top of the fifth pulled TAMIU within 5-4, OC answered with three more runs in the bottom of the inning, with Kennedy hitting a solo home run and Kolton Brown delivering a run-scoring double to right-center field.

Rentz finished with six strikeouts in six innings for OC.

The second game included 28 hits – 15 by the Eagles, 13 for TAMIU. The Dustdevils jumped on OC starter Mason McAlister for five runs in the fifth, three on a homer by William Mora, and led 5-1.

Kennedy's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning pulled OC within 5-3 and the Eagles took advantage of a critical throwing error by TAMIU relief pitcher Nick Perales (0-1) to score five times in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead.

After the Dustdevils trimmed the margin to 8-6, OC sealed the win with a four-run eighth, fueled in good part by two TAMIU errors. Mora hit a meaningless solo home run in the ninth for TAMIU.

Freshman left-hander Gabe Rodery (3-1), the second of five OC pitchers, picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of relief.

OC coach Lonny Cobble discusses the games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoOapv-6814&feature=em-upload_owner