SHAWNEE, Okla. – SWOSU Baseball collected a second straight run rule in road midweek action, this time against (RV) Oklahoma Baptist on Tuesday in a slugfest played in the howling Oklahoma winds.
It's the most runs and hits the Dawgs have had in a game so far this year and they needed just seven innings to do it. SWOSU put up strong crooked scoring numbers in five of the seven frames in the game, hit four home runs including two from Reece Burke, and took advantage of 10 total free passes from Bison pitchers between six walks and another four hit by pitches.
Five in the lineup had three-hit games, highlighted by Burke's seven RBI and three runs scored – accounting for half of the runs SWOSU scored in the game. Gage Gaunt hit his fourth home run of the season and accounted for eight runs between five RBI and another three runs scored.
Ty Eastwood had yet another three-hit game, his third in the last four games and fifth in the last eight. Sean Monsour rounded out the three-hit bunch with three RBI of his own and a run scored.
Other home runs in the contest came courtesy of Gage Gaunt and Rusty Wortman.
SWOSU trailed 9-4 after two at-bats before scoring 11 runs from the third to the fifth and then finally getting into run-rule territory in the seventh with another five runs.
In a day that will be remembered for hitting, Justin Schrader (W, 1-0) will be the quiet game changer. The reliever entered in the second inning and after a rocky first inning, he settled in to keep a stout OBU offense off the scoreboard from the third through the sixth while the offense did its thing and grew the lead.
Sawyer Rolland started the game and pitched into the second before getting relieved by Schrader. Zane Leonard came on with two outs in the sixth. Conner Watson got the last out of the game in his one-out outing.
The victory pushes SWOSU to 16-8 overall as winners of seven of their last eight. They'll hit the road to Magnolia, Arkansas this weekend to continue conference play against Southern Arkansas who enters the matchup tied for second in the GAC standings.
