ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University baseball team earned a Great American Conference series victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State University after splitting a double-header with the Rangers on Saturday at Rab Rodgers Field.
Northwestern (6-5, 1-2 GAC) earned the win in Saturday's first game by a score of 4-3, but Ouachita (6-3, 2-1 GAC) came back to win the rubber match 6-3 to take the series in the first weekend of GAC play. The Tigers beat the Rangers 6-1 on Friday in game one of the series.
With Ouachita leading 3-1 in Saturday's first game, the Rangers rallied for two unearned runs in the top of the seventh off a Ouachita error that knotted the game up at 3-3 heading into the final two innings. Ouachita was held scoreless in the final four innings, while Northwestern added the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to salvage one win in the series. That run in the ninth came on a wild pitch.
Ouachita's first two runs came in the bottom of the third when the Tigers took advantage of a Ranger error and later a sacrifice fly from
Michael Quinones for his first of what ended up being five runs driven in for the double header combined.
G. Allen blasted his third homerun of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning, this time easily clearing the right field fence and landing near the Ouachita tennis courts.
Teddy Webb was stuck with a no decision after turning in a quality start, giving up just one earned run off three hits with six strikeouts and three walks in the first 6.2 innings.
In the series finale, the Tigers scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning, all off of just one hit. The inning was full of errors, wild pitches, walks, and then a hit batter with the bases loaded to score the first run of the frame. Then, Quinones cleared the bases with his first homerun of the season, this one off the scoreboard in right center to put the Tigers up 6-2.
Ouachita was held scoreless the rest of the way, while Northwestern added its final run in the top of the sixth.
Hayden Childers moved to 3-0 this season with the win in the finale, allowing just one earned run on six hits in the first four innings.
Cade Crossland and
Dustin Bermudez held the Ouachita lead in relief in the final two innings.
After playing their first nine games of the season either at home or at Majestic Park in Hot Springs, the Tigers will hit the road next weekend to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State for a three-game GAC series in Weatherford.
