Long Ball Keys UCO Rally

2/15/2011 5:30:33 PM

Arrow Cunningham

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EDMOND (Feb. 15) – Austin Rycroft and Mac Gordon belted home runs in a six-run eighth inning rally that lifted Central Oklahoma to a come-from-behind 12-10 triumph over Oklahoma Christian Tuesday afternoon.

The Bronchos banged out 18 hits and used a pair of big innings to overcome the Eagles and improve to 3-2 on the young season in giving first-year head coach Dax Leone a win in his home debut.

“We battled hard all day and came up with some big hits late in the game to pull out a good win,” Leone said. “We missed on some chances we had to score more runs, but we found a way to get it done at the end.”

UCO scored five runs in the first in taking an early 5-2 lead, but trailed 10-6 entering the eighth before rallying.

Ryan Schoonover led off the eighth with a walk and went to third on Tucker Brown's double, with Kevin Blue's single through the left side scoring Schoonover to pull the Bronchos within 10-7.

One out later it was tied, with Rycroft hammering a towering drive over the left field wall for his third homer of the year to make it 10-10. Keegan Morrow followed with a single and stole second before Gordon gave UCO the lead with his first homer, this one a line-drive shot to left-center field.

Kade Kauk came on in relief in the top of the ninth to nail down the win and earn his first save, giving up an infield single to OC's lead-off batter before getting a double play ball and a strikeout. Matt Martzall ended up with the pitching win and was one of five pitchers the Bronchos used.

Rycroft keyed UCO's 18-hit attack with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, while Tucker Brown and Arrow Cunningham had three hits apiece. The Bronchos also got two-hit outings from Blue, Morrow and Gordon.

The Eagles broke on top with two runs in the top of the first, but UCO answered back quickly with a five-run volley in its half of the inning

Tucker Brown followed Schoonover's lead-off single with a two-run homer that bounced off the top of the wall in left field and Cunningham added a two-run single as the Bronchos went on top 5-2.

OC made it 5-4 in the second and then regained the lead with a five-run fourth. Morrow's RBI ground-out pulled UCO within 9-6, but the Eagles got that run back in the sixth and maintained the 10-6 lead until the faithful eighth.

The Bronchos travel to the University of Dallas for a single 2 p.m. game Wednesday and then return home to host Cameron for a three-game Lone Star Conference series this weekend.

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