Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Baseball took the third and final game of the GAC series 8-5 over Arkansas Tech on Sunday to claim the 2-1 series victory over the Wonder Boys. The win moves the Bulldogs to an even 5-5 on the year, but more importantly puts an opening series victory under their belt.
The offense got going in the second inning courtesy of a
Rogelio Sanchez home run in his first start of the season at first base.
Brooks Benson singled to start the inning before Sanchez stepped up next and drove a ball over the scoreboard in left field to get SWOSU on the board with a two-RBI bomb.
The Dawgs would tack on single runs in both the third and fourth innings and led 4-2 after four complete. Tech knotted the game back up at 4-4 in the fifth with two runs on four hits in the frame, forcing
Gabe Jacobo to relieve SWOSU starter
Cooper Cantwell from the mound. Jacobo came in with one out and runners on first and second and held the Wonder Boys to no more runs.
The game remained tied until the seventh inning, when the SWOSU bats again came through in the clutch. The Dawgs got two runners on to start the inning following a
Daniel Richardson single and a Marion McClean walk, and were then sacrifice bunted over into scoring position by
Bryan Miranda. With one out, runners in scoring position and the Arkansas Tech infield playing in for a potential play at the plate,
Sawyer Toole delivered a two-RBI single through the left side of the infield to give SWOSU the lead.
Later in the inning with two outs, Benson added another run with a line drive up the middle that plated Toole for the third and final run of the frame. Tech would get a run back in their half of the eighth inning, but it was SWOSU who led 7-5 headed to the ninth inning.
SWOSU benefitted from a stroke of luck on defense in that eighth inning, as Tech's pinch hitter Shane Pollard lined a ball to deep left center field with a runner on first and sprinting hard around the bases. The ball bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double, halting the baserunner from first at third and denying his easy route home while also holding Pollard at second when he could have had a triple.
Brendan Peitsmeyer was then called on to relieve Jacobo with two outs and the senior did his job by getting the final out and stranding the game-tying run on second base.
After another insurance run was added in the ninth inning, Peitsmeyer came back in and collected his first save of the year and again held the Wonder Boys to no runs.
Five Bulldog hitters had a multi-hit game on Sunday, led by Benson with a 3-for-4 day while Miranda, Pimentel, Toole, and Sanchez all had two hits themselves. Cantwell got the start and pitched into the fifth inning before being taken out and his final line finished with four runs allowed (all earned) and one strikeout. Jacobo (W, 1-1) pitched 3.1 innings, allowing a pair of hits and just one run before passing the ball to Peitsmeyer who pitched the final 1.1 innings.
Up next for the Dawgs (5-5, 2-1 GAC) will be a midweek non-conference affair with Central Oklahoma on Wednesday (Feb. 21) before returning to Weatherford for another GAC series against Harding over the weekend.
