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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Landon Bond
10
Central Oklahoma UCO 21-15, 14-10 MIAA
12
Winner Northeastern St. NSU 11-27, 8-16 MIAA
Central Oklahoma UCO
21-15, 14-10 MIAA
10
Final
12
Northeastern St. NSU
11-27, 8-16 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 0 6 0 0 3 1 0 10 10 1
Northeastern St. NSU 0 4 5 2 0 0 0 1 X 12 11 2

W: B. Hestand (2-0) L: Van Scoyoc, Spencer (1-3) S: T. Nance (3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Clipped In Series Finale

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team dropped a 12-10 slugfest at Northeastern State Friday afternoon in the second game of a doubleheader and the final game of a three-game MId-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association series at Rousey Field.

Central Oklahoma is 24-13 following the loss and 14-10 in the MIAA. UCO won Game 1 Thursday, 7-4 in 14 innings, and won Game 2 earlier Friday, 6-5. But a pitching staff that has carried the Bronchos nearly all season was running on empty in the second game of Friday's doubleheader, the fourth game in three days for Central.

Spencer Van Scoyoc got the start for UCO and was chased after just 1 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on two hits and six walks and one hit batter. He struck out one in his appearance. Brent Stephens came in for Van Scoyoc in the second and got out of the inning, but he allowed four runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning before UCO head coach John Martin had to make another move. 

Martin went to left fielder Taylor Avila to make his first appearance on the mound in his UCO career. Avila gave up one run on two hits and a walk over the the next 2/3 of an inning.

Central Oklahoma found itself down 9-0 after just three innings of play.

But UCO wasn't going to go away easy. The Broncho bats had their staff's backs. 

Philip Scott led off the top of the fourth with a single and started a four-hit, six-run inning to claw Central back in the game. 

Kyle Crowl was hit by a pitch after Scott singled. TK McWhertor then followed that with a smash hit to left field to score Scott, putting UCO on the board. Paul Kropf then changed places with McWhertor on a 2-RBI double to make it 9-3. 

Taylor Avila was hit by a pitch and Brock Ruminer drew a walk. Then Brock Schaffer came into the box and struck an 0-2 pitch down to right field to score both Kropf and Avila and make it 9-5 NSU. After Northeastern finally got the first out of the inning, TJ Black knocked a deep fly ball to left field and earned a sacrifice fly as Ruminer darted home to make it 9-6. 

NSU put two more on the board in the fourth to make it 11-6, but Central had another rally up its sleeve. 

Scott led off the seventh with a walk and Crowl reached on a fielder's choice as NSU's third baseman made a throwing error. Both runners moved up a base on an NSU balk, then after McWhertor lined out to the NSU third baseman, Kropf came up and smashed a three-run home run over the fence in left field to cut the lead to 11-9. 

In the eighth, Black got on with a one-out single, Crowl walked, and McWhertor reached on a throwing error by the NSU shortstop. Black scored on that play to make it 11-10. 

What ended UCO's 10-2 run over the previous five innings, and might have done the Bronchos in for the day, was Crowl being called out at the plate after a passed ball. Crowl hesitated just before being tagged out, then snuck a quick slide under the NSU catcher to beat the tag, however the umpired disagreed and called Crowl out on the play. That was the third out of the inning and left the Bronchos down 11-10.

NSU added one more run in the bottom of the eighth, and UCO couldn't pull off any more late game heroics in the ninth. 

UCO scored three runs in the top of the 14th inning Thursday. UCO scored three runs in the top of the ninth earlier Friday. It couldn't pull it off again in the the series finale.

Kropf led the Bronchos in Friday's finale, going 2-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored. McWhertor was also 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI. Schaffer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Central Oklahoma has one more road game in its eight-game road trip. The Bronchos visit Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday in Durant, Okla. UCO then comes back to Wendell Simmons Field for another three-game MIAA series next weekend against Fort Hays State.
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