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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Josh Rutland
4
Pittsburg State PSU 12-11, 7-6 MIAA
5
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 14-9, 7-6 MIAA
Pittsburg State PSU
12-11, 7-6 MIAA
4
Final
5
Central Oklahoma UCO
14-9, 7-6 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pittsburg State PSU 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 3
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 X 5 9 1

W: Bond, Landon (1-0) L: Lane,Tanner (1-3) S: Rutland, Josh (6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Back In Win Column After Grounding Gorillas

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma used a come-from-behind win to snap a three-game skid Friday night as the Bronchos defeated Pittsburg State 5-4 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bronchos improved to 14-9 with the win and are now 7-6 in the MIAA. Pittsburg State is 12-11 overall and also 7-6 in league play. Game 2 of the three-game series is Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
"We played better tonight and that's a good start," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "I still think we can be better. We had some chances to make this game a little more in our favor and we need to come through on those chances. But we did good enough to win and that's all that matters tonight. We got a win and we need to come back tomorrow and do it again."
 
Central Oklahoma had an early 2-0 lead Friday, but trailed 4-2 after four innings. UCO tied the game, and took the lead, in a seventh-inning rally to get the win over its conference foe.
 
Landon Bond picked up his first win of the season out of the bullpen. He relieved starter Dylan Hall in a 4-3 game in the top of the seventh inning. Bond threw one inning of work as Central rallied to take the lead.
 
Junior Obeso and Josh Rutland came in to secure the win after Bond. Rutland picked up his sixth save of the season in throwing the ninth. He now has 17 career saves, which is tied with Gibson Russ for the most in school history.
 
Central fanned 10 Friday night. Hall struck out five in 6 2/3 innings of work, allowing five hits and four runs. Bond got all three of his outs via the strikeout, and Rutland struck out the final two batters of the game.
 
TJ Black and Paul Kropf led a nine-hit offense for the Bronchos Friday. Both had two hits.
 
Black's two-out triple in the bottom of the second inning put UCO on the board. He turned on an 0-1 pitch and belted it into left center field, allowing Brice West to easily score from second base. West had singles earlier and stole second. That made it 1-0, UCO.
 
Kyle Crowl then single on an off-chopper to the pitcher and Black scored to make it 2-0.
 
In the sixth, West scored again to make it 4-3, Pittsburg State. West reached on a fielder's choice as Pitt baited Brock Ruminer into a rundown at the plate. They got the out, the second of the inning, but West was again on second base. TK McWhertor followed with an RBI single to center field to score West.
 
Crowl reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh. He smacked a 1-0 pitch to deep center field but the PSU defender dropped the routine fly ball. Kropf came up following Philip Scott's groundout to shortstop that moved Crowl over to third and squared away a single to center field to score Crowl and tie the game, 4-4.
 
Kace Massner then drew a walk, and stole second base shortly after. In doing so, an errant throw by the Pitt State catcher allowed Massner to third. He scored on a wild pitch as Taylor Avila drew a walk to give UCO the 5-4 lead, and ultimately, the win.
 
Central Oklahoma got hits from Crowl, Avila, Ruminer, West, and McWhertor, to go with Black and Kropf's two hits.
 
Game 2 in the series is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. The schools will also play Sunday at 1 p.m. to wrap up the season series.
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