MONTICELLO, Ark. – After chipping into a 7-0 deficit in the seventh and eighth innings, SWOSU Baseball entered the ninth trailing Arkansas Monticello 8-5 and scored five runs in their final three outs to steal the victory.
 
With the win, the Dawgs secure the first conference series victory of the season by taking 2-of-3 from UAM.
 
Things looked grim through the first seven innings for SWOSU. Simply put, they could get nothing going. UAM starting pitcher Mason Philley allowed just one hit through the first six innings and held the visiting Bulldogs scoreless.
 
In the seventh inning though, the bats broke through by scoring three runs on three hits to eliminate the shutout and chip into the deficit. Marc Gonzales drove in a pair of runs on an RBI single, followed by Miguel Soto's sacrifice fly that added another run later in the inning.
 
That seventh inning is where Philley was chased from the game and UAM was forced to give way to a bullpen that proved they were not up for the task of closing out the series.
 
In the eighth inning, walks and passed balls allowed two more SWOSU runs to cross and all the sudden the game was within reach.
 
Entering the ninth, Ramon Vingochea drove in a run with a single to center field and a Zach Baxley infield single loaded the bases a few batters later. Now 8-6, Monticello pitchers issues free bases to the next three Bulldog hitters via a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch that put SWOSU on top.
 
A Jean Ortiz sacrifice fly added an insurance run and by the end of the top half of the ninth inning, the Dawgs led 10-8 after entering the inning trailing 8-5.
 
Grant Ewy (W, 3-0) came on in relief to close things out and earned the decision in the process. Though he did walk two in the inning to keep things interesting, a double play ball and a strikeout got him out of any possible trouble.
 
Nate Postlethwait started the game but could only make it 3.2 innings before being relieved. His final line was seven runs on six hits, and five strikeouts with three walks.
 
Dakota Jones (2.1IP), Matt Hopkins (1.0), Chase Hamilton (1.0), and Ewy all saw time on the mound in relief. Chase DeFillipo entered after Poslethwait but walked two straight and was quickly pulled.
 
At the plate, Vingochea was the only hitter with a multi-hit game. He finished 2-for-6 with an RBI. SWOSU was outhit in the game 10-7 but benefited from 11 Boll Weevil issued walks.
 
Looking to build off the win, the Bulldogs (6-5) will now face Central Oklahoma in a single non-conference game on Tuesday, February 22nd in Edmond. The two already have faced each other once, with UCO getting the better of SWOSU 6-4 back on Feb. 8th.