SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 5, 2022) – Isaiah Alvarenga was a key piece of the rebuild of Oklahoma Christian's pitching staff for the 2022 baseball season and he showed why on Saturday afternoon.

The transfer from East Texas Baptist struck out seven batters and allowed only three hits in seven shutout innings and the Eagles' hitters picked up where they left off in 2021, banging out 18 hits, including three home runs. The combination gave OC a 10-0 rout of St. Mary's (Texas) at Dickson Stadium in the season opener for both teams.

Every OC starter had at least one hit, with the Eagles recording seven for extra bases – the homers by Blake Empkey, Chance Westervelt and Tanner White, a pair of doubles by Michael DiFiore and one double each by Grant Lake and Cole Lee.

Lake's second-inning double off St. Mary's starter Dylan Bells (0-1) scored Coleton Hinkle and the Eagles added another single run in the third inning on a solo homer by Westervelt.

That proved to be plenty of run support for Alvarenga (1-0), the NCAA Division II West Region co-pitcher of the year in 2021. The sophomore right-hander didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning and never allowed a St. Mary's baserunner past second base during his seven innings. Chase Berberich and newcomer Matthew Shira each pitched a 1-2-3 inning in relief of Alvarenga.

The Eagles' offense busted out with eight runs over the final three innings. Westervelt and Kevin Collyar each delivered RBI singles in the seventh, DiFiore drove in a run with an eighth-inning double and White and Empkey both homered during a five-run ninth.

The Rattlers beat OC in five of six games last season, all played in Oklahoma City, with the final two coming in the Lone Star Conference tournament, ending the Eagles' season.

The teams will play a doubleheader with two seven-innings games on Sunday starting at 1 p.m., with a single nine-inning game scheduled for noon on Monday.