Box Score
Box Score (html)
ENID, Okla. – Bulldog baseball put up a valiant effort against the No. 2-seed Arkansas-Monticello but ultimately left too many scoring opportunities on the base path as they fell in the 3-2 in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament.
SWOSU stranded 11 base runners in the game, squandering an opportunity to earn their first GAC Tournament victory in the third year of the conference's existence.
Jonathan Johnson – a second team All-GAC selection – and the Bulldogs defense kept SWOSU in the game as Johnson held UAM to just three runs despite allowing 11 hits. The defense had his back, however, turning three inning-ending double plays and keeping the game tied.
JR Head singled to lead off the game and scored four batters later as
Chris Faulkner singled to right center, giving the Bulldogs the first run on the scoreboard. SWOSU would strand two runners in both the first and second innings, wasting opportunities to add to their lead.
Johnson, meanwhile, was rolling early in the game, holding UAM in check through four innings after
Dietrick Turney started a 4-6-3 double play to end the fourth. In the top of the fifth, SWOSU had another scoring opportunity with runners on first and third base with one out.
Dalton Daniels was caught in a rundown in between first and second base and eventually got to third as
Brandon Ruiz was gunned out trying to score. After
Kale Thaxton drew a walk, Faulkner came through with an RBI double off the wall in left center, but a great defensive play by UAM's left fielder allowed the Boll Weevils to throw Thaxton out at the plate and hold SWOSU to just one run.
UAM would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run home run but Johnson induced another 4-6-3 double play to end the inning with the bases loaded. The offense went stagnant in the sixth and seventh innings but the defense had Johnson's back, making several tough plays, including an unassisted double play by Faulkner that ended the seventh inning.
The eighth inning gave the Bulldogs their best chance to regain the lead. Thaxton singled to lead off the inning and he was joined by
Mitchell Brittain and
Jaden Chappell, who both reached with just one out in the inning.
Zack Mang pinch hit for
Tyler Rapp but popped up to shallow right field, not allowing Thaxton to tag and score and Turney grounded out to third base to end the inning.
UAM got back-to-back singles to open the eighth inning and both runners got into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. The next batter hit a long fly ball to center field, allowing the runner on third to barely beat in a great throw from Head. Ruiz and Daniels would both draw one-out walks in the bottom of the ninth but Thaxton grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Johnson threw his 10th complete game of the season, but was tagged with the loss, falling to 6-6 on the year. He allowed 11 hits but just three earned runs in 8.0 innings of work.
The loss means SWOSU will face the top seed in the tournament, Arkansas Tech, on Sunday at 12:30 pm from David Allen Memorial Ballpark. The Wonder Boys, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, had their 22-game winning streak snapped on Saturday by Ouachita Baptist.
