First Game Box Score
Second Game Box Score
EDMOND (March 21) – A four-run last-inning rally lifted Central Oklahoma to a first-game win over Cameron here Saturday as the Bronchos earned a split of the two teams' Lone Star Conference doubleheader.
UCO overcame an 8-5 deficit in its final at bat in the opener, taking advantage of two CU errors to score four runs and pull out 9-8 win that halted a four-game losing streak, with the Aggies holding on for a 4-3 victory in the nightcap.
The Bronchos, now 15-16 on the year and 12-12 in the league, return to action Monday with a 1 p.m. non-conference home twinbill against Missouri S&T.
“We battled hard today and pulled out a good win in the first game,” UCO coach Wendell Simmons said. “We had some chances in the second game, but just couldn't take advantage.”
The Bronchos used two hits, two errors, two stolen bases, a walk and a balk to pull out the thrilling first-game comeback.
Brent Hodge walked to lead off the seventh inning and Luke Yost followed with an infield single, with both advancing a base on an error. A balk scored Hodge and moved Yost to third, then Casey Bruns cranked a double off the center field wall to score Yost and make it 8-7.
John Bryant drew a one-out walk and a double steal put Bruns at third and Bryant at second, which was a key play one out later when Cameron third baseman Jake Forsythe threw the ball away on Tyson Fugett's grounder to allow both runners to score and hand UCO the win.
The Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but UCO answered right back in its first at bat to go in front 3-2 on Andrew Foshee's three-run home run. The Bronchos made it 4-2 in the third when Ryan Schoonover singled, stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on Yost's sacrifice fly.
It became a 5-2 lead in the fourth on Bryant's solo homer to right field, with UCO failing to extend that lead after hitting into a one-out bases-loaded double play. Cameron came back with four runs in the fifth – three unearned – to move in front 6-5 and added single runs in the sixth and seventh to make it 8-5 before the Bronchos prevailed.
All nine UCO batters had at least one hit, with Hodge and Foshee getting two apiece. Brent Miller earned the pitching win in relief, giving up one hit and one run in two innings work.
The Bronchos took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game when Schoonover led off with a double, took third on Hodge's bunt single and scored on Foshee's groundout. CU came back to tie it in the second and scored thee unearned runs in the third to go up 4-1.
It stayed that way until the sixth when Foshee was hit by pitch with two outs and Bruns followed with a long homer over the center field wall. That pulled UCO within 4-3, but the Aggies held on.
Tyler Bishop threw well in relief for the Bronchos, pitching 6 1/3 shutout innings while giving up just five hits and striking out six after coming on in the third with UCO down 4-1.
Hodge had three of UCO's seven hits to lead the offense.
