AUSTIN, Texas (March 22, 2019) – It seemed bleak for a time for Oklahoma Christian on Friday. The Eagles had dropped a 2-1 extra-inning decision at St. Edward's (Texas) and were three outs away from losing again to the perennially strong Hilltoppers.

Freshman Blake Empkey turned the Eagles' fortunes around. His bases-loaded, two-out double in the seventh inning keyed a four-run OC outburst and the Eagles – ranked sixth in the South Central Region –  held on for a 9-7 win and a doubleheader split at Lucian Hamilton Field.

OC (16-7, 1-1 Heartland Conference) and St. Edward's (12-15, 1-1) will play the decisive game of their series at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The opener was a pitchers' duel between OC left-hander Gabe Rodery and St. Edward's ace Ryan Hill, with Rodery allowing seven hits and one run in eighth innings and Hill going seven innings, allowing nine hits and one run.

The Eagles scratched out a run in the fourth, when Garrett Wages doubled down the right-field line to lead off and scored on a fielder's-choice grounder by Hunter Markwardt. But with one out in the bottom of the seventh – two outs from victory for OC – Robbie Lammons tripled down the right-field line and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Johnson, forcing extra innings.

Rodery escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth, striking out Chase Fontana looking, and Markwardt's leadoff homer over the right-field wall in the ninth put the Eagles back ahead 2-1. Again, the Hilltoppers responded, taking advantage of an error and again tying the game on a sacrifice fly.

In the 10th, the Eagles blinked. With two outs, closer Jared Price (0-2) walked two batters and reliever Jake Tomcheck walked another to load the bases before Jake Hahn's single to left field gave the Hilltoppers the win. St. Edward's reliever Jayson Flores (1-1) picked up the pitching win.

St. Edward's jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning in the second game – a seven-inning affair, after the extra-inning contest – but OC answered with a four-run second inning that included Alex Hansen's first collegiate hit, an RBI single. But, again St. Edward's eased ahead, as Fontana's solo home run in the sixth off OC reliever Chase Berberich (2-1) put the Hilltoppers up 6-5.

Kevin Collyar drew a walk from St. Edward's reliever Daniel Sabatino (0-2) to start the seventh and a two-out intentional walk gave the Eagles two baserunners. Pinch-runner Drew Wright went to third base on a wild pitch before Sabatino hit Callen Crockett with a pitch to load the bases.

Empkey sent a shot down the left-field line that cleared the bases, then scored himself when Errett Edwards singled through the left side, making it 9-6. Empkey went 2 for 5 with four RBIs in the game.

St. Edward's threatened in the seventh, scoring an unearned run, but Hayden Barber retired the final three batters he faced to pick up his first save. Berberich allowed two hits during his four-inning relief stint to earn the pitching win.