Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Colton Bertus
4
Henderson State HSU 0-1
10
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 1-0
Henderson State HSU
0-1
4
Final
10
Central Oklahoma UCO
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Henderson State HSU 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 4 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 2 3 0 1 1 1 2 X 10 8 3

W: Hall, Dylan (1-0) L: Matthew Baker (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Central Opens Season With Win

UCO Ties Strikeout Record In Victory

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team opened the 2020 season Friday night with a record performance in a 10-4 win over Henderson State in the Edmond First Pitch Classic at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
Central Oklahoma struck out 19, tying a team record for most strikeouts in a single game. The Bronchos also did that against Colorado School of Mines in 2015. UCO struck out 15 or more six times last season en route to a school record 548 for the season. The Bronchos Friday night showed no signs of slowing down in the new year.
 
"We played well today," UCO head coach John Martin said. "We did make three errors and I'm a little bothered by that. But we got a great outing by our pitching staff and we were really good on offense. We'll take it and move on to the next one."
 
Dylan Hall got the start on opening night and dazzled, as the Stafford, Va. native did all of last season. After striking out a school record 123 batters in 2018, Hall got off to a good start, striking out 10 in five innings of work. He picked up the win Friday with a final line of five innings pitched, two hits, one run, and 10 Ks.
 
Central got a great performance from its senior ace. It also got a great performance from a freshman making his Broncho debut.
 
Colton Bertus went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, three RBIs, and one run scored. After sitting out a redshirt season in 2019, Bertus started at second base and wasted no time getting involved. He also laid down a sacrifice bunt in his first at bat.
 
UCO got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning Friday night. Brett Hopkins got hit by a pitch and Joe Mondragon drew a walk to leadoff the inning. After Bertus laid down his bunt, Brock Schaffer hit an awkward bloop single to third base that scored both Hopkins and Mondragon and gave the Bronchos a 2-0 lead.
 
Central got three in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Mondragon was hit by a pitch and Garrrett Takamatsu, who walked earlier in the inning, scored. Then Bertus smacked his double, his first career hit, into the gap in left center. That scored Hopkins and Kyle Crowl, who also both walked earlier in the inning, and gave the Bronchos a 5-1 lead.
 
Schaffer added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 6-1. After Crowl doubled in the sixth, Hopkins drove him in on a single through the left side to make it 7-1. Bertus hit a solo home run to lead off the seventh and make it 8-3.
 
Hopkins scored Philip Scott on an RBI groundout in the eighth and Crowl scored on a wild pitch later that inning to make it 10-3.
 
Brayden Nelson relieved Hall after five innings of work and the senior pitcher continued a solid day for the Bronchos from the mound. Nelson did allow a home run, but the two-run shot was unearned after a two-out error by Scott. He recovered easily though and struck out four in his two innings of work.
 
Kyler Patterson then came on to throw one inning. After not having thrown since March of 2018, the junior pitcher overcame a throwing error against his first batter to strike out the next three and get out of the inning. Jake Terry struck out two in the ninth, the last, a swinging strikeout to end the game, tied the school record.

Crowl finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Hopkins, Mondragon, Green, and Schaffer also had hits Friday. Mondragon and Green, along with Crowl's two and Bertus, helped the Bronchos spread five doubles on the night.
 
Friday marked the opening of Martin's fifth season as head coach at Central Oklahoma and the win marked five consecutive season-opening victories by the Bronchos.
 
Central Oklahoma is back in action Saturday on a busy opening weekend. The Bronchos will play Northwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. Saturday and Missouri Southern at 7 p.m. as the Edmond First Pitch Classic rolls on.
 
 
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors