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Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY (March 16, 2018) – When Arkansas-Fort Smith needed hits – to stay ahead or to rally – the Lions got them on Friday at Dobson Field.
UAFS clubbed 18 hits – including three home runs – in a 16-11 win over Oklahoma Christian in the series opener, and used a four-run eighth-inning outburst to take the nightcap 7-6 as the baseball teams began their nonconference series between Heartland Conference foes that was mandated by the league.
Arkansas-Fort Smith (13-5) will host OC (8-8) later this season for another four-game series that will count in the league standings. Before that, the teams will play another "nonconference" doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
UAFS was a South Central Region finalist last season and the Lions' offense looked sharp in the first game, jumping on OC ace
Mason McAlister (2-3) for seven runs in the first two innings. During a six-run second inning, Anthony Seminaris hit a three-run homer and Jace Pitchford followed with a solo shot.
Troy Cahill hit a three-run homer in the fourth off McAlister, giving the Lions an 11-3 lead at that point. OC pulled within 11-6 with a three-run fifth, but UAFS answered with five runs in the sixth to make it 16-6. The Eagles scored five runs themselves in the bottom of the inning, but didn't threaten to tie the game.
OC did have 15 hits in the game, led by
Drew Wright (4-for-4) and
Chad Kennedy (3-for-5, including a two-run home run).UAFS starter Dawson Floyd (4-2) picked up the pitching win.
OC wasted a tremendous performance by starting pitcher
Gabe Rodery in the second game, as the sophomore left-hander went 7 1/3 innings and threw 76 strikes among his 100 pitches. The Eagles scored one run in each of the first four innings and led 6-3 after a two-run sixth, keyed by a bloop RBI single by
Slater Springman.
But UAFS reliever Korbin Polly (1-0), making his first appearance of the season, blanked the Eagles on just two hits in five innings of work, striking out seven batters in the process. That bought time for his team to rally, which the Lions did in the eighth against OC reliever
Garett Hill (1-2). Brennan Dooly, Seminaris and Pitchford each had a run-scoring hit during the outburst.
Dooly had three doubles for the Lions in the game, while
Jake Collins had two doubles for OC while going 3-for-5.
