Box Score GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Feb. 1, 2018) – In the first-ever baseball meeting between Oklahoma Christian and Central Oklahoma outside of the Sooner State, Chad Kennedy got the Eagles off to a great start and didn't slow down the rest of the game.

But unfortunately for the Eagles, he didn't receive much help. Kennedy went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and home run, but the rest of the Eagles managed only four hits combined as OC fell 8-6 at AirHogs Stadium in the season opener for both teams.

Four of OC's hits came in the first inning, when Alex Garcia – in his first career at-bat for the Eagles – delivered a run-scoring double to left field to score Kennedy, after Kennedy had tripled to right-center field to bring home Hunter Markwardt, who had led off with a single. After Kolton Brown's single scored Garcia, OC led 3-0.

But the Bronchos quickly answered against OC senior starter Mason McAlister (0-1), scoring three runs in the top of the second, two on a triple by Xavier Warren.

OC went back ahead in the bottom of the second. Austin Stokes singled to right field and scored on a double down the left-field line by Kennedy, a senior outfielder from Hooker. Again, UCO tied the game quickly, on a RBI single by Dayne Sommer in the top of the third.

Sommer's RBI triple keyed a two-run fifth for the Bronchos, chasing McAlister, who did strike out nine batters in his four-plus innings of work. UCO tacked on two more runs in the seventh to go up 8-4.

OC's only hit over the final seven innings was a leadoff home run by Kennedy in the eighth inning, although the Eagles did scratch out a ninth-inning run thanks to a walk and a wild pitch.

UCO starter Ryan Lemoine (1-0) survived his rocky start and pitched six innings, allowing six hits with five strikeouts. Austin Lambright pitched a hitless ninth inning for the Bronchos to earn the save.

OC will return to action on Friday at 7 p.m., facing Emporia State (Kan.) in the venue that was the site of last year's NCAA Division II Championship tournament.