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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Tyler Culver
4
Missouri Southern MSSU 19-13, 7-11 MIAA
5
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 25-10, 17-4 MIAA
Missouri Southern MSSU
19-13, 7-11 MIAA
4
Final
5
Central Oklahoma UCO
25-10, 17-4 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Missouri Southern MSSU 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 4 2
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 X 5 10 1

W: Culver, Tyler (6-0) L: Reeves,J (2-1) S: Rutland, Josh (5)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Edges Missouri Southern

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma beat Missouri Southern 5-4 Tuesday afternoon in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play at Wendell Simmons Field. The Bronchos improved to 25-10 overall and a league-best 17-4, while Missouri Southern fell to 19-13 overall and 7-11 in the MIAA.
 
"I think we played very well today, with the exception of one inning," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "That's dangerous though, sometimes you lose a game in one inning. But we held on. We did well hitting the ball against a good pitcher and on just a tough day with the wind blowing in the way it was. We got another good start from our pitching staff too. This was a good win."
 
Tyler Culver improved to 6-0 on the season after another strong start for the Bronchos. He threw six innings, gave up just one hit, and the only run he allowed was unearned. Culver struck out eight on the day as well. He has 22 strikeouts in the past week.
 
"Culver was on today, that was a good start," Martin said. "He's been on a good run and that's been huge for us. We've needed him to be this good and he's come through for us."
 
Culver had to play from behind from the onset. He walked the first batter of the game, who stole second on the next at bat. After another Missouri Southern batter reached on an error, a sacrifice-fly gave MSSU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
 
But Culver would cruise from there. He didn't allow a hit through 4 1/3 innings pitched. His offense gave him all the help he would need too in the third.
 
Paul Kropf led off reaching on an error by the MSSU second baseman. Jake Dyer followed with a single to center field to put two on, and after a UCO strikeout, Xavier Freeman doubled down the left field line to score Kropf. T.J. Sparr then hit a sac-fly himself to score Dyer and give the Bronchos the 2-1 lead.
 
Caleb Peters followed with an RBI single on the first pitch he saw to score Freeman. After moving to second on a balk, Justin Brown hit a 2-0 pitch for a single to center field that scored Peters and gave UCO a 4-1 lead.
 
Culver was done after six, and J.D. Cameron came on in relief. He got a little more run support in the bottom of the seventh after Dyer led off with a triple down the right field line. Dyer scored on the next play when Freeman hit a sac-fly to left. That made it 5-1 Bronchos.
 
Cameron though would have a rocky eighth, allowing three earned runs on two hits and two walks. Ben Wusterbarth came on to help, as did Josh Rutland to get UCO out of the inning still ahead 5-4.
 
Rutland shut down the Lions in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.
 
Dyer finished the day 3-for-4 with two singles and a triple, and two runs scored, to lead the Broncho offense. Brown's 2-for-4, one RBI day was also key.
 
Central Oklahoma wrapped up an eight-game homestand going 6-2 and maintaining its lead in the MIAA standings. The Bronchos now though go on an eight-game road trip. That starts this weekend with a three-game set in Pittsburg, Kan. against the Pitt State, which is 12-5 in league play and two spots back of the Bronchos in third place.
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