WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Bulldog Baseball came out of Saturday's twin bill with Arkansas-Monticello with an even 1-1 record, falling 5-3 in the first game of the day before responding with a 3-2 win in game two.
The two teams will place the rubber match to decide the series on Sunday (March 16) at noon at the SWOSU Athletic Complex.
Game One
UAM 5, SWOSU 3
The Dawgs erased a 3-1 deficit in the sixth with small ball, tying the game back up with two runs after they loaded the bases with no outs, but UAM regained their lead for good in the seventh and added another run for insurance in the eighth.
It was SWOSU who scored first when
Gage Gaunt singled in
Sean Monsour in the first inning. Monticello got the run back in the second and chased starter
Josh Doelitsch (4.1 IP) in the fifth with another two runs.
Ayden Page (L, 0-1) entered with three innings of relief, but earned the loss after the lead changed hands in the seventh.
Tyler Fortin (1.2 IP) picked up the game's final five outs in scoreless fashion.
Ty Eastwood led the lineup with three hits. Gaunt had two hits including his RBI single and he also scored a run.
Markus Coronado also had two hits, a double and a triple, representing both of SWOSU's extra-base hits in the game.
Game Two
SWOSU 3, UAM 2
The Dawgs wasted no time by again scoring in their first at-bat. Three of their six hits in the game came in the opening frame, highlighted by
Ty Eastwood's RBI double down the fight field line and
Bodi Wallar's RBI single right after.
Drew Fifer (W, 3-2) pitched with that 2-0 lead until the fourth inning when UAM finally tied the game back up with their only two runs of the ball game. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth,
Campbell Sullivan became a one-man army. He singled with two outs and proceeded to steal second and then third, and on his steal of third, forced an errant throw from the Weevil catcher which allowed him to score the go-ahead, game winning run.
Fifer ended up throwing six complete innings. His line: a season high 10 strikeouts, with just one walk and six hits allowed.
Jackson Blue entered in the seventh and picked up his second save of the season with a clean 12-pitch inning.
Wallar ended 2-3 at the plate.