Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY (April 7, 2017) – Dalton Rentz recorded what had been an elusive shutout and Mason McAlister followed with another strong pitching performance as Oklahoma Christian swept Oklahoma Panhandle State 7-0 and 6-3 on Friday at Dobson Field.

OC (20-16, 7-7 Heartland Conference) picked up ground in the league race although the Eagles remained in sixth place. A win at noon on Saturday in the series finale against OPSU (8-28, 1-10) could move them within 1½ games of fifth-place St. Mary's (Texas) and one game of fourth-place St. Edward's (Texas).

Rentz (7-2) had his finest outing as an Eagle, as the senior right-hander from Mobile, Ala., shut down the Aggies on only three hits. Rentz struck out 10 batters and didn't walk any while recording his first complete game and first shutout in an OC uniform. He's now tied for the Heartland lead in wins and is tops in strikeouts with 66.

Josh Garbrecht's RBI single in the second inning off OPSU starter Samuel Beattie (1-8) scored Chad Kennedy, who had doubled, and the Eagles made it 2-0 in the fourth when Kolton Brown doubled and scored on a throwing error.

OC broke the game open with a five-run fifth, highlighted by a solo home run by Hayden Strobel and a two-run shot by Brown, who finished 3-for-3. Garbrecht and Lane Paul also had run-scoring hits in the inning.

In the second baseball game, OC scored once in the first inning and went up 2-0 on a solo homer by Luke Reynolds in the second off OPSU starter Adrian Lopez (0-6). The Aggies tied the game in the top of the fourth against McAlister (2-3) thanks to a two-run homer by Robert Rodriguez, but McAlister settled down and allowed only two more hits while pitching a season-high seven innings with seven strikeouts.

OC scored once each in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Jake Collins' fourth-inning double down the left-field line scored Zac Bycko to put OC ahead for good at 3-2, Chad Kennedy singled home Chase Kuwitzky in the fifth and Collins greeted OPSU reliever Tristen Hubler with another RBI double in the sixth, bringing home Jake Baxter to make it 5-2. Kennedy's RBI double in the seventh put OC up 6-2.

The Aggies scored once in the eighth against OC reliever Garett Hill, but closer Jake Moore slammed the door in the ninth, retiring the side in order to record his fourth save.