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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
TJ Black
6
Central Oklahoma UCO 18-11
7
Winner Missouri Western MWSU 13-13
Central Oklahoma UCO
18-11
6
Final
7
Missouri Western MWSU
13-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 1 6 10 1
Missouri Western MWSU 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 7 14 3

W: Dwyre,Carson (1-2) L: Rutland, Josh (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Edged By Griffons In Series Finale

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team dropped the final game of its three-game Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association series with Missouri Western 7-6 Monday afternoon.
 
The Bronchos won the season series 2-1. UCO is now 18-11 on the season and 11-7 in league play.
 
"It's tough when you lose the last game of a series," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "We're glad to have won the series but we do lose a bit of momentum. We need to put today behind us pretty quick and come out ready to play better tomorrow back home."
 
Central Oklahoma welcomes East Central to Wendell Simmons Field in Edmond Tuesday at 5 p.m.
 
The Bronchos went back and forth in Monday's game. UCO fell behind 1-0 in the third inning, 2-1 in the fourth, went ahead 4-1 in the fifth, then back behind, 6-5. Central tied the game 6-6 in the top of the ninth inning before a walkoff home run ended the series in the bottom of the ninth inning.
 
Josh Rutland gave up the shot, a homer down the left field line, for what is not only his first loss of the season, but also the first loss of his career. Rutland, who is the UCO all-time saves leader with 19, had a 5-0 career win-loss record to go with that. He threw two pitches Monday before all of that changed.
 
Central Oklahoma scattered 10 hits around the Griffon Baseball Field. Kyle Crowl, Brock Ruminer, TK McWhertor, and Taylor Avila all had two hits. Brice West and TJ Black each added one hit apiece.
 
McWhertor and Avila both had doubles, while Avila also had a triple. The only long ball of the day was Missouri Western's walkoff homer.
 
Spencer Van Scoyoc got the start for the Bronchos and threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks. Only one of those runs were earned. Van Scoyoc also struck out two batters in the start.
 
Brent Stephens came out of the bullpen first to relieve Van Scoyoc and threw just 1/3 of an inning, allowing two hits and a run.
 
Landon Bond threw 2 2/3 innings, allowed two hits and one run, and struck out four. Junior Obeso also came on relief, throwing 1 1/3 and allowing five hits and two runs before Rutland took over in the ninth.
 
Central Oklahoma struck out 10 batters on the day and with that, moved over the 300-strikeout mark for the season. UCO has 307 strikeouts in 29 games this season.
 
McWhertor knocked his double to leadoff of the fourth inning. He moved over to third on West's groundout to the third baseman, then scored when Avila smacked his triple with two outs in the inning. That tied the game, 1-1.
 
After going down 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, UCO responded with its biggest rally of the day.
 
Black drew a leadoff walk, then stole second before Crowl singled through the left side. Ruminer followed with a single up the middle to score Black and tie the game, 2-2. Then Ruminer stole second and an errant throw by the MWSU catcher allowed Crowl to score and give UCO a 3-2 lead.
 
Ruminer kept up the theft, stealing third before Philip Scott hit a sacrifice fly to center that was deep enough to score Ruminer and make it 4-2.
 
Western scored again in the fifth as well, cutting the UCO lead to 4-3, but the Bronchos responded again themselves. Black singled, then stole second, then Ruminer singled and Black scored on the play to make it 5-3.
 
Unfortunately for the Bronchos on Monday, MWSU kept on. The Griffons scored a pair of runs in the seventh to tie the game, and another in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead.
 
Ruminer led off the ninth with a walk, and stole second after that. Scott hit a deep fly ball to center field to allow Ruminer to get over to third. McWhertor did the same that got Ruminer to score and tie the game, 6-6.
 
West followed with a single, but the Bronchos couldn't get another run. Missouri Western then came up to bat in the ninth and cracked Rutland's code, walking off the Bronchos.
 
Central Oklahoma will quickly shift its focus to East Central. ECU is 4-29 this season. The Bronchos have won the last six meetings against the Tigers and hasn't lost to ECU since 2011.
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