The Oklahoma Christian University baseball team controlled home field during the weekend, sweeping Oklahoma Panhandle State University in a three-game series and ending the final game 11-0.
The Eagles met the Aggies on the field for a doubleheader Friday afternoon.
Kyle Lacy recorded the first run for the Eagles from an error by the catcher. Caden Cleveland scored the next run on Chase Kuwitzky’s single in the second inning. The bottom of the third produced three more runs from Lacy, Jones and Kolton Brown, giving the Eagles a 5-0 lead.
The Aggies hit their only run of the game in the fourth inning, a homer by Lucas Ogaz. Oklahoma Christian retaliated in the fifth with Cleveland sending Ben McKenzie home, followed by Brown scoring unearned. The Eagles took the game 7-1.
The second game proved unexpectedly challenging for the Eagles. Derek Jones said the slip up wasn’t caused by exhaustion, but arrogance.
“I feel like we got complacent after the first game,” Jones said. “We knew that they were a team we should beat, and I think we expected them to roll over in the second game after we controlled every aspect of the first game.”
Zac Cobble scored unearned in the first inning. The action ceased until Kuwitzky and Lacy made it home on Jones’ single in the fifth inning. Then, the Aggies took over the game. They scored one run in the top of the sixth inning, followed by five more runs in the seventh. After Kuwitzky and Cobble added two runs for the Eagles in the seventh, the team trailed by one.
McKenzie saved the game by smashing a home run past the left field fence. He sent Jones and Cobble home, leading the Eagles to a 8-6 victory in the ninth inning.
After the close call, Jones said the team approached the Aggies with a different perspective for the final game.
“We know that they’re a team we need to beat, but we also know that we can’t take them lightly,” Jones said on Friday. “We need to go out there tomorrow and take care of business.”
The Eagles shut the Aggies down in the third game of the series and claimed an 11-0 win.
Jones started a scoring streak by sending Cobble home on a single. McKenzie stepped up next and singled to send Lacy home. Then Cleveland hit a single but reached second on the center fielder’s error while McKenzie and Jones reached home. Within the first inning, the Eagles led 4-0.
The next streak came in the fourth inning when Cobble doubled to left field so Kuwitzky and Brady Baugh could score. Then Lacy doubled, letting Cobble sprint home, and Jones doubled to send Lacy home. Brown sealed the deal with his fourth home run of the week, sending Jones home to add two runs.
Jesse Stephens took his turn at the plate and knocked a single to right field to let Cody Rosecrans score the game’s final run. Oklahoma Christian took the game after seven innings because it exceeded a 10-run lead.
Cobble said the team’s next game will be exciting because of the opponent’s talent.
“[Oklahoma Baptist University] is really good,” Cobble said. “Two weeks ago they were 26-0 until OCU beat them twice. I think it’s going to be a really competitive game, so I can’t wait for that.”
The Eagles host Oklahoma Baptist University on April 14 at 6 p.m.
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