Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (April 17, 2018) – Before their game Tuesday night, Oklahoma Christian baseball players were among those honoring legendary OC coach Max Dobson as the university celebrated facility improvements at Max and Ramona Dobson Field.

A couple of hours later, the Eagles put together a comeback worthy of the program's most successful coach, who guided OC to a third-place finish in the 1972 NAIA World Series. Down 8-1 to Southwestern Oklahoma State, OC rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and seven in the seventh to down the Bulldogs 12-9.

Garrett Wages – inserted into the lineup in the sixth inning – led OC with four RBIs, while another mid-game substitution, Slater Springman, had two for OC (19-18), which will wake up Wednesday with a winning record for the first time this season.

After Jake Collins hit a no-doubt-about-it solo home run in the first inning to put OC ahead 1-0, Southwestern (21-18) built its lead thanks to three home runs – two by Alex Pimentel, who had five RBIs, and another by Rogelio Sanchez. The Bulldogs took advantage as OC pitchers hit five batters and walked seven others.

Pimentel's second home, in the top of the fourth inning, made it 8-1 before the Eagles began chipping away. Matthew Foster's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth made it 8-2. An infield single by Callen Crockett and a two-run single by Wages in the sixth pulled OC within 8-5.

The Eagles knocked down the door with their seven-run seventh, matching their biggest inning of the season. OC sent 11 batters to the plate, had five hits and took advantage of three errors by the Bulldogs. Wages' second two-run single was of the infield variety, but it scored Hunter Markwardt and Drew Wright, with the latter motoring all the way home from second base to give the Eagles a 9-8 lead.

Two batters later, Springman hit a line-drive single to center off Southwestern reliever Jesse Lee (0-2) to score two more runs, making it 12-8. Pimentel doubled home Sawyer Toole in the eighth to pull Southwestern within 12-9, but OC reliever Garett Hill tossed a scoreless ninth to record his second save of the season.

Reliever Jake Tomcheck (1-0) pitched a career-long three innings for OC, striking out four batters, to pick up the win.

OC will be back in action Thursday, when the Eagles will host Heartland Conference rival St. Edward's (Texas) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The teams are scheduled to play a second doubleheader Friday at noon in what is shaping up as a critical league series for both.

Watch the dedication ceremony for the Dobson Field improvements: https://youtu.be/NNqtiL3MbWU 

Game highlights: https://youtu.be/6vcXVuj6Du4