Senior Dalton Rentz pitched a seven-inning shutout for the Eagles, as the Oklahoma Christian University baseball team won 7-0 against Oklahoma Panhandle State University at home April 7.
Six different players scored a run for the Eagles, led by senior Kolton Brown who had two runs on three hits. The Eagles pulled away in the fifth inning after bringing in five runs.
“I have been blessed to be a part of a great program and a great team,” Brown said. “I have had some good at bats here lately, but it is definitely not one guy that is the key to our success. It is the whole team coming together.”
The second game saw Oklahoma Christian finish the back-to-back sweep with a 6-3 victory. Three pitchers took the mound for the Eagles and all of them recorded at least one strikeout. Junior Mason McAlister led the group with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Oklahoma Christian scored once in four consecutive innings while holding the Aggies scoreless through that time. Junior Chad Kennedy and senior Jake Collins both had two RBIs on two hits.
In the final game of the series, the Eagles completed the sweep of the Aggies with a run-rule 11-1 win.
“I feel like the team has really stepped up to the task before us the past few weeks,” Brown said. “I feel like we have been putting in a lot of hard work so we can meet our goals. All of that preparation and hard work seems to be coming together for us at the right time.”
Senior Jared Price and Kennedy both had two runs. Brown hit a home run in the fifth inning to put the Eagles up 5-0, and finished the game with four RBIs.
Collins pitched six innings for Oklahoma Christian, allowing one run and striking out five batters.
Following the series, Brown was named the Heartland Conference baseball hitter of the week for the second time in his career.
The next matchup for the Eagles was a single game against nonconference opponent Southern Nazarene University on Tuesday.
Six different pitchers took the mound for Oklahoma Christian, as the Eagles fell 8-5 to the Crimson Storm.
The closest the Eagles came was in the fourth inning when Brown brought in sophomore Josh Garbrecht for the score to give his team the 5-3 lead. Southern Nazarene would later take the lead after a three-run seventh inning.
The team traveled to Wichita, KS, and swept the first day of games against conference rival Newman University Friday.
Senior Dalton Rentz became the first pitcher to record eight wins in the Heartland Conference as the Eagles took the first game 4-0. Rentz recorded nine strikeouts and only allowed two hits in seven innings.
Sophomore Garrett Wages led the team with two runs scored.
The second game saw Oklahoma Christian pull away early with five of its six runs coming in the first two innings.
McAlister was on the mound for eight of the nine innings, allowing only one run and striking out three batters. Collins had two runs and four RBIs on two hits. Kennedy also had two runs.
The final game of the series saw both senior Lane Paul and Brown with two home runs in the 18-17 loss. Paul had six RBIs and Brown had five. Junior Hayden Strobel scored four runs in four hits.
In the fifth inning, the Eagles took a 10-8 lead after bringing in six runs. The Eagles scored another six runs in the ninth inning but fell one run short of the comeback.
“I think the remainder of the season is going to be a real test for us,” Brown said. “We are going to have to play our best to make it to the conference tournament and beyond, but I know we have it in us.”
The Eagles will face Southeastern Oklahoma State University in a non-conference matchup tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Statistics provided by the Oklahoma Christian University Sports Information office.
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