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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Korey Floyd
Korey Floyd
8
Pittsburg State PSU 12-18
9
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 17-10-1
Pittsburg State PSU
12-18
8
Final
9
Central Oklahoma UCO
17-10-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburg State PSU 1 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 8 12 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 2 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 9 14 1

W: Russ, Gibson (3-1) L: Lesmeister,Cort (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos rally to beat Pitt State Sunday

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team used a late rally to edge Pittsburg State 9-8 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play Sunday afternoon at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bronchos scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at eight, then added the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Gibson Russ picked up the win after inheriting a tie game in the top of the eighth, and closing out the victory in the ninth.
 
"We really needed that," UCO head coach John Martin said. "After the way this weekend has gone, we needed to come out and see some fight in our guys. When we were down, they responded. Now we just need to keep that going next week."
 
Pittsburg State won the first two games of the three-game MIAA series, run-ruling the Bronchos on Friday before winning by nine on Saturday. PSU looked poised to sweep the Bronchos midway through Sunday's contest.
 
Central built an early lead, scoring two in the bottom of the first inning. Korey Floyd hit a one-out triple and Jon Kamies then hit an RBI double before Trae Smith did the same – though Smith was thrown out trying to stretch that into a triple. But UCO was up 2-1 after one.
 
The Bronchos made it 3-1 after two when Kyle Miskovsky hit his third home run of the season deep to left center.
 
From there, Central struggled at the plate. And Pittsburg responded, scoring three in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth to take an 8-3 lead.
 
The Bronchos needed a rally, and they got one going in the seventh.
 
After T.J. Sparr led the inning off with a strikeout, Chris Lobato drew a walk in a 10-pitch at bat to give the Bronchos a baserunner. Justin Brown then singled a blooper to center field to put two on with one out before Jake Dyer struck out.
 
Floyd stepped up looking to extend the inning and try and get the Bronchos back in the game. He popped a ball up, down the right field line, and it dropped in for a single. Lobato scored to make it 8-4 as Brown zipped over to third. Then Kamies came up and drew a walk himself to load the bases with two outs.
 
Pittsburg went to the bullpen and brought out Cort Lesmeister, a righty, to face the left-handed hitter in blue, Trae Smith.
 
Smith pounced.
 
The first baseman slugged a shot into right center, clearing the bases to make it 8-7 as he stood on second pounding his chest. Anthony Alvarez then came up and slapped a shot through the right side to score Smith and tie the game.
 
Miskovsky came up and got another hit for the Bronchos, but Sparr popped out to end the inning and the run.
 
Greg Hyde was on the mound for the Bronchos in the top of the eighth, and he got two strikeouts in the inning, but he also walked two batters.
 
That's when Russ came on for the Bronchos, with two on and two outs in the top of the eighth inning.
 
The next batter, Colton Pogue, hit a blooper to right field and it looked like Pitt State was going to load the bases. But the Gorillas became greedy, and sent Logan Terrell home as Kamies fielded the ball in right, and immediately fired it home.
 
Kamies' laser of a throw was just to the right, but Lobato made a clean grab and quickly tagged the sliding Terrell out at the plate, sending the Bronchos into a frenzy.
 
Central capitalized.
 
Lobato led off in the bottom of the eighth, and still reeling from the big play, slapped a single too far to the left of the shortstop for a play. Xavier Warren then came on as a pinch-runner for Lobato.
 
Justin Brown stepped up and laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Warren to second. Then Dyer popped up to left field and moved Warren to third with two outs.
 
Floyd was up, and the winning run was on third.
 
Floyd took a ball, measuring up his pitcher. He looked at a strike next. Then, Floyd smacked a ball through the right side and Warren trotted home and the Bronchos led 9-8.
 
Kamies struck out to end the inning, then Russ was back to finish off the win. After striking out the first batter, and getting a quick second out on a pop-fly, Russ gave up a single and hit a batter to leave some drama in the air. But Russ struck out Pittsburg State's Brett Macary to end the game.
 
Floyd finished the game a perfect 4 of 4 from the plate, with two RBIs and two runs scored. Smith was 3 of 4 with four RBIs and one run scored. Alvarez and Miskovsky each added two hits to lead the Bronchos.
 
Central Oklahoma plays at Missouri Southern in MIAA action at 3 p.m. Wednesday before hosting Emporia State for a three-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. at Wendell Simmons Field.
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