Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – East Central scored five runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings, defeating SWOSU 5-3 in the first game of a three-game Great American Conference series on Friday at the SWOSU Athletic Complex.
On another beautiful afternoon for baseball, it was the Bulldogs who got on the board first as
Jacob Spring reached on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch by East Central starter Lucas Kaplan. The score stayed 1-0 until the first of two scoring innings for ECU. The Tigers used three hits to score two runs in the fourth inning, but left the bases loaded after
Austin Hannum got a groundout to get out of the inning.
A two-out single by
CJ Faddis, followed by a stolen base setup a game-tying hit from
Cole Wagner as he singled down the right field line to score Faddis from second, knotting the game at 2-2. After Hannum got the first two outs in the fifth, however, two SWOSU errors and two Tiger hits led to three more runs, giving East Central a 5-2 lead with four frames remaining.
SWOSU gained a little bit of ground in the seventh as Faddis scored on a sac fly from
Dalton Daniels, but Spring flied out to right field to end the inning with two runners on base. The Bulldogs, who left eight runners on base for the game, were set down in order by a pair of relievers in the final two frames as ECU sealed the victory.
Hannum (0-2) took the loss after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing six hits and five runs, only two of which were earned. He struck out three Tigers while walking four as he faced 26 batters.
Connor Garcia allowed three hits over the final four innings in relief of Hannum.
SWOSU finished the game with six hits, all singles, led by Faddis who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Daniels and Wagner had the RBI for SWOSU while Spring scored the Bulldogs third run.
The Bulldogs begin conference season with a defeat and fall to 2-6 on the year heading into a noon doubleheader on Saturday that will conclude the series with East Central.
