OKLAHOMA CITY (April 10, 2022) – Oklahoma Christian's baseball players finally have earned their green ballcaps.

The Eagles pounded out 10 extra-base hits and recorded their second double-digit run-scoring inning in as many weeks – an 11-run seventh – to down Texas-Permian Basin 18-8 on Sunday afternoon at Dobson Field, completing a sweep of their four-game series.

OC (18-23, 18-22 Lone Star Conference) solidified its hold on seventh place in the LSC with its seventh straight win. The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings will make the LSC tournament. The Eagles have four-game series remaining at fifth-place Texas-Tyler and at home against 10th-place Arkansas-Fort Smith before having their LSC open week during the final week of the campaign.

The Eagles weren't in such good position about a month ago, when coach Lonny Cobble bought a set of green caps, with plans to allow his team to wear them in the opener of a series against nationally ranked West Texas A&M that began the day after St. Patrick's Day – sort of a fun distraction.

But entering that series, OC had lost nine of 10 games and Cobble and his staff decided against distributing the caps, telling his players they needed to win a series to earn them. The Eagles went 1-3 at West Texas A&M, but then won three straight at Cameron last week after dropping the series opener. They made sure to finish the job against UTPB (10-27, 9-27) and Cobble confirmed his players will receive their new hats on Monday.

Four times on Sunday, OC trailed the Falcons, and each time, the Eagles responded in a positive manner. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Coleton Hinkle and Jayvien Joseph each delivered a RBI double. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Connor Jackson's run-scoring keyed a two-run rally. Down 5-4 in the fifth, Cole Lee hit a leadoff home run and Blake Empkey later added a two-run single.

UTPB led 8-7 after Devin Ferrari's second home run of the game in the top of the seventh. The Eagles' answer was an 11-run outburst that ended the game early due to the 10-run rule. During the inning, Empkey hit a two-run homer, Joseph contributed a second RBI double, Jaren Hill hit a two-run homer and Michael DiFiore hit a run-scoring double. Joseph sealed the win with a two-run bloop single to right field.

OC scored 13 runs in the seventh inning last Sunday in a 28-10 win over Cameron. Before that game, the Eagles' most recent double-digit inning was a 10-run third-inning outburst vs. Calumet St. Joseph (Ind.) on March 4, 2017.

Joseph finished with a career-high five RBIs. Lee's home run was his second of the series after having only one all season before that, and Hill hit three homers against the Falcons, also after having only one all season. DiFiore, Empkey, Joseph and Jackson each contributed three hits to OC's 18-hit attack.

OC reliever Jayce Meyer (2-0) picked up the pitching win while UTPB reliever Jake Rohde (0-3) took the loss after surrendering six runs in just one-third of an inning.

OC's series at Texas-Tyler will begin on Thursday and run through Saturday, a change from the usual Friday-Sunday series setup due to Easter being next Sunday.

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