Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 15) – Ryan Schoonover belted an extra-inning grand slam to lift Central Oklahoma to a 6-2 win over No. 10-ranked Abilene Christian as the Bronchos split a Lone Star Conference doubleheader here Monday afternoon.
Schoonover's big hit in the top of the eighth inning gave UCO its first win of the series – and the season – while handing the Wildcats their first loss after a 6-0 start, but the Wildcats came back with a 20-6 rout in the nightcap.
The Bronchos, now 1-3 on the season and in league play, continue their rugged early-season schedule Wednesday by hosting top-rated Emporia State in the home debut at 2:30 p.m.
“We came out and did a great job pulling out a win we really needed to have,” head coach Wendell Simmons said. “We got off to a good start in the second game, but then the wheels fell off and ACU just took it to us.”
Tucker Brown started UCO's game-winning eighth-inning rally in the opener with a single before taking second on Brady White's sacrifice bunt. John Bryant walked and Luke Yost singled to load the bases and Schoonover followed with his second homer of the season, this one a shot to left field.
The Wildcats got a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the eighth before Yost came on to get the last out and record the first save of his career.
UCO took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Taylor Brown's lead-off solo homer and made it 2-0 in the fifth when Arrow Cunningham scored on a wild pitch after earlier drawing a one-out walk. ACU tied it with two runs in the bottom of that frame and it stayed that way until the eighth.
Corey Hawk went 3-for-4 to lead a 10-hit attack, while Tucker Brown added a pair of hits. Tyler Schuman earned the pitching win with 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief.
The Bronchos actually had a 6-2 lead after their half of the third inning in the second game, but ACU erupted for 13 runs in the bottom of the third and coasted in from there.
Schoonover smacked a two-run homer and Taylor Brown delivered a two-run double to give UCO a 4-0 second-inning lead, with the Wildcats getting three runs back in their half of the inning.
The Bronchos scored two runs without getting a hit in the third, but that 6-2 lead was short-lived. ACU made two quick outs in the bottom of the third, but proceeded to rip off 12 hits in scoring 13 two-out runs, with a key error keeping the inning alive and leading to nine unearned runs.
That gave the Wildcats a 15-6 lead and UCO wouldn't score again.
