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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Team
5
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 34-20-1
2
Mo. Western St. MWSU 32-22
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
34-20-1
5
Final
2
Mo. Western St. MWSU
32-22
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 9 2
Mo. Western St. MWSU 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 8 2

W: Russ, Gibson (6-1) L: Hunter,Nate (8-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos rally in the ninth to extend season

EMPORIA, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team was staring the offseason right in the face as Friday, it headed to the top of the ninth inning trailing Missouri Western by a run in the NCAA Central Regional elimination game.

But UCO wasn't willing to give up. The Bronchos scored four runs with two outs in the top half of the final inning to beat Missouri Western 5-2 and prolong their season for at least one more day.

UCO will play the loser of Emporia State and Lindenwood on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ESU and Lindenwood play Saturday at 10 a.m.

"This is how these guys have been playing for the past month," UCO head coach John Martin said. "We needed to win our last six games of the season just to get into the conference tournament. Then we went on a wild run to get here. These kids just won't quit."  

Korey Floyd led off the bottom of the ninth with a slow dribbler to the second baseman, who threw the ball into the UCO dugout. Floyd advanced to second on the play.
Brenton Washausen then pinch-ran for Floyd, and Chris Lobato would pinch-hit for Trae Smith.

Lobato though, on a 2-2 pitch, bunted foul for the first out of the inning.

Dayne Sommer then hit a sharp ground ball to the shortstop, who threw him out at first. But Washausen did move to third.

So with two outs and a runner on third, All-American senior Jon Kamies came up to the plate. He walked in a five-pitch at bat. Runners on the corners.

Anthony Alvarez was next. On the first pitch, a strike, Kamies stole second. After watching a ball through, the third pitch came in high and inside and hit Alvarez to load the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth.

Kyle Miskovsky then got his turn. And on an 0-1 pitch, Miskovsky slapped a two-RBI single through the right side scoring Washausen and Kamies and giving the Bronchos a 3-2 lead.

T.J. Sparr followed with an RBI single to score Alvarez and make it 4-2. Justin Brown knocked another RBI single scoring Miskovsky to make it 5-2.

Gibson Russ had entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and got one strikeout. He got two more in the ninth to get the win.

Miskovsky led the Bronchos as the junior second baseman was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

He earlier led off the top of third with a single and advanced to second on an error by the right fielder. Caleb Peters followed with an attempt at a sacrifice bunt, but the Missouri Western first baseman tried to let the ball roll with hopes it'd go foul. It didn't. Peters was safe with a bunt single and Miskovsky stood on third.

After Brown grounded out to the pitcher, Jake Dyer then hit a ground ball to the second baseman and was out for out number two in the inning, but Miskovsky scored on the play and Central had a 1-0 lead.

Missouri Western answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to tie it 1-1. Alex Huering led off with a single, and was moved up to second on a sac-bunt. He scored on a Nick Gawley two-out single.

Missouri Western took the lead in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Curry.

Cameron finished after 7 1/3 innings pitched. The junior had a solid outing with five strikeouts and just one earned run. He allowed two runs on eight hits and walked just one. Cameron would have got the win if the Broncho bats could've got going a little earlier. Instead, Russ gets his sixth win of the season. Russ is now 6-1 after striking out three in 1 2/3 innings.

Weather has played a significant role in the tournament through the first two days, and now two games will by played on Saturday that were originally scheduled for Friday. But so it goes in the month of May. 

Emporia State and Lindenwood are up first Saturday with a 10 a.m. start. Minnesota State and St. Cloud State follow. The losers of each of those games will play a second game later in the day, the winners will come back Sunday.

Here is a look at the tournament at a glance.

NCAA Central Regional
At Emporia, Kan.
Thursday's Games
G3: Minnesota State 4, Central Oklahoma 0
G2: Lindenwood 14, Southern Arkansas 7
G1: Emporia State 10, Arkansas-Monticello 8
Friday's Games
G4: St. Cloud State 12, Missouri Western 0
G5: Arkansas-Monticello 5, Southern Arkansas 4
G6: Central Oklahoma 5, Missouri Western 2
Saturday's Games
G7: Emporia State vs. Lindenwood, 10 a.m.
G8: Minnesota State vs. St. Cloud State, 1:15 p.m.
G9: Central Oklahoma vs. Loser G7, 4:30 p.m.
G10: Arkansas-Monticello vs. Loser G8, 7:45 p.m.
Sunday's Games
G11: Winner G7 vs. Winner G8, 11 a.m.
G12: Winner G9 vs. Winner 10, 2:30 p.m.
G13: Winner 12 vs. Loser 11, 6 p.m.
Monday's Games
G14: Winner G11 vs. Winner G13, noon
x-G15: Winner G14 vs. Loser G14, 3:30 p.m.
x-if necessary; Game 15 necessary if loser of game 14 has one loss


 
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