Box Score ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -
Jace Melby went 3-5 and scored three runs, while
Connor Eller earned his sixth win of 2015 as the Ouachita Tiers defeated the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers 6-3 at Rab Rodgers Field. Melby's three hits included a homerun, his second in the last three games.
Connor Eller improved to 6-0 on the season. He struck out seven in 7.1 innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits. He walked none on 115 pitches.
Josh Reeves came in with one out in the eighth inning to earn his first save of the year. The Tigers are now 14-9 overall and sit atop the GAC with a record of 8-3.
The Tigers scored in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead when
Jace Melby hits a homerun to the deepest part of left center. It was Melby's fourth of the year. Northwestern Oklahoma tied the game,1-1, in top of the fourth with an RBI triple.
,Ouachita answered in the bottom half of the fourth with three runs to retake the lead. Back-to-back RBI singles by
Matt Sinclair and
Evan Ruiz put the Tigers up -1. Later in the inning, Sinclair scored to make it a 4-1 lead. An RBI single by
Drew Feuerbacher in the fifth extended the Tigers lead to 5-1.
Eller struck out three batters over the next two innings to help hold the Rangers scoreless. The Tigers got out of jam in the top of the seventh when the Rangers Jeff Martin was thrown out at second base trying to extend a base hit.
A two-run homer by Matt Benn of NWOSU but the Ouachita lead to 5-3 in the top of the eighth inning. Josh reeves entered in relief of Eller and got two quick outs to allow the Tigers to get out of the inning. The Tigers scored one more run in the bottom half the inning after
Parker Norris singles home
Ryan Hammer to make it 6-3.
Before the game, both teams were joined by the baseball teams from Southwestern Oklahoma State and Henderson State to have a moment of silence to remember NWOSU student-athlete Britten Shuck who was involved in a fatal car accident earlier this week.
The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 12:00 p.m.. at Rab Rodgers Field.
