ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University baseball team gave its seven seniors extra reason to celebrate with a pair of wins over East Central on Saturday by final scores of 10-4 and 3-1 to complete the three-game weekend sweep.
Ouachita (27-18, 19-11 GAC) won game one of the series on Friday by a final score of 11-1. The successful weekend marks the sixth series victory of the year and the third series sweep. The purple-and-white Tigers head into the final weekend of the regular season in third place in the Great American Conference standings.
Saturday was Senior Day for the Tigers. Seven individuals were honored prior to Saturday's double-header, recognizing their careers at Ouachita. The seniors include Hunter Gautreaux, Garret Hermes, Carter Wade, Beau Burson, Pierce Mitchum, Blake Tubbs, and student assistant coach Andrew McDonald.
In Saturday's first game, Ouachita's offense got going in the third with a three-run homerun off the scoreboard by G. Allen, his team-high 12th long ball of the season.
Ouachita added two more in the fourth, one in the sixth, and four in the seventh, capped by a two-run single by Isaac Nowell to put the Tigers up by their final six-run advantage.
Senior Beau Burson (6-3) earned the win on the mound, giving up three runs and striking out eight in the first six innings. Cameron Marchant picked up his second save of the season after holding ECU (5-38, 3-27 GAC) to just one run in the final three innings.
In the series finale, ECU pitcher Koby Midgley kept Ouachita quiet through the first five innings, and almost got out of the sixth unscathed before Tallon Heine drew a two-out bases-loaded walk to bring the tying run across the plate. Allen followed with another clutch hit, this time a two-run single to score the go-ahead runs.
Dustin Bermudez came to the mound from shortstop for the save opportunity in the top of the seventh, and although he gave up a pair of walks, he earned his first save of the year after Jaxon Chaney came up with a highlight-reel defensive play to end the inning and leave the bases loaded for ECU.
Hayden Childers (3-0) earned the win after keeping ECU scoreless in the sixth, while striking out two.
The Tigers are back at home for the final time this season on Tuesday to host Harding in a non-conference game starting at 3 p.m. at Rab Rodgers Field. Ouachita will then head across the street to face rival Henderson State over the weekend in a three-game series with second place in the league at stake.
