ARKADELPHIA – A two-run bunt in the bottom of the seventh inning proved to be the deciding factor on Thursday as the Ouachita baseball team held on to defeat Northwestern Oklahoma State 4-3 in game one of a three-game Great American Conference series between the Tigers and Rangers at Rab Rodgers Field.

Up 2-1 to start the bottom of the seventh inning, the Tigers (19-22, 16-12 GAC) loaded the bases with one out to set up Jaxson Jester for a two-run squeeze bunt that scored Isaac Nowell from third base and Wesley Scott from second, who was running on the pitch and never stopped when the play was made at first base to retire Jester.

That 4-1 advantage came in handy when the Rangers (27-17, 14-14 GAC) rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning. Luke House came in from the bullpen to get the last two outs to earn his first save of the season.

After being held scoreless for the first four innings, the Tigers scratched across a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice lineout by Kyndall Cassidy and then took a 2-1 lead with an RBI double from Joseph Bolin in the sixth.

The Rangers scored one run in the second inning and got a leadoff double to start the ninth, but Ouachita starter Chase Oberle did not allow NWOSU to reach scoring position in any other inning. Oberle (4-4) earned the win with a final line of two runs allowed on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in eight innings of work.

Nowell continued his recent hot streak with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate in Thursday's win to account for nearly half of Ouachita's seven hits in the contest.

Games two and three of the series will be played as a double header on Friday starting at noon.