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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Justin Brown
3
Lindenwood LWU 13-15, 6-11 MIAA
4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 23-9, 15-3 MIAA
Lindenwood LWU
13-15, 6-11 MIAA
3
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
23-9, 15-3 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Lindenwood LWU 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 6 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 4 10 0

W: Rutland, Josh (3-0) L: Shill,Marshall (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Justin Brown Does It Again

EDMOND – Justin Brown hit a walk-off RBI single for the second time in three games to send the University of Central Oklahoma to a 4-3 win over Lindenwood Thursday evening in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association action at Wendell Simmons Field.

Brown, staring down an 0-2 pitch from Lindenwood's Marshall Shill, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, chopped an inside pitch back up the middle. It dribbled just out of Shill's reach and died down before the second baseman could get in to make a play. Caleb Peters scored the game-winning run.

"That was most definitely not our best baseball," UCO head coach John Martin said. "But hats off to the guys for never giving up. And hats off to Justin. He's been in a situation most of us have played through in our backyards a hundred times and came through for us twice now."

Brown scored Peters on a walk-off RBI single on Sunday to send the Bronchos to a 7-6 win over then third-ranked Central Missouri. UCO improved to 23-9 with the win and are now 15-3 in the MIAA.

UCO needed two in the ninth, after scoring once each in the seventh and eighth to get the win Thursday.

Dayne Sommer led off the inning with a groundout, but then Trae Smith walked, Peters got hit by a pitch, and Xavier Freeman walked to load the bases. D.J. Gasso also drew a walk to scored Bryce West, who pinch-ran for Smith. That made it 3-3. After Jake Dyer struck out for the second out of the inning, Brown stepped to the plate.

Before that, Paul Kropf scored in the seventh to make it 3-1 when Smith grounded out to the shortstop. Kropf led off with a walk and Sommer doubled down the left field line to move Kropf to third.

In the eighth, Bryant Klusener led off with a single to right field. Brock Ruminer came on to pinch-run for Klusener and moved to second on a bunt-single by Brown. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Ruminer scored when Kyle Miskovsky grounded out to the second baseman to make it 3-2.

Brown led UCO with a 3-for-5 day at the plate. He was 0-for-2 before singling in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings.

Kropf finished 2-for-4, the only other Broncho with multiple hits on the day. UCO scattered 10 hits as a team.

Ryan Lemoine had a solid start, going 6 2/3 and striking out seven batters. He did allow three runs. Junior Obeso, Austin Lambright, Will Olds and Josh Rutland also saw action Thursday in relief work.

UCO and Lindenwood, a rematch of both last year's MIAA Championship and NCAA Tournament Central Regional final, meet again Friday at 3 p.m. before finishing the three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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