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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Colton Croft
3
Northwestern Okla. NWOSU 0-2
16
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 2-0
Northwestern Okla. NWOSU
0-2
3
Final
16
Central Oklahoma UCO
2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Northwestern Okla. NWOSU 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 6 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 3 0 2 3 3 0 1 4 16 18 0

W: Croft, Colton (1-0) L: Grant French (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Central Run-Rules Northwestern

Pinch-Hit Grand Slam Ends Game In Eighth

EDMOND – Bennett Laurence smacked a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the eighth that sent the University of Central Oklahoma baseball team to a 16-3 run-rule victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon in the first of two games at the Edmond First Pitch Classic at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
Central Oklahoma is 2-0. The Bronchos will play Missouri Southern Saturday night.
 
UCO scored early and often Saturday.
 
Philip Scott gave UCO an early lead. After Zac Freeman knocked a leadoff single and Garrett Takamatsu drew a walk, Scott belted a three-run home run to put UCO up 3-0 over Northwestern. Scott, who hit four homes a year ago, got his first of the new season in his second game.
 
Northwestern got on the board in the third to cut the lead to 3-1, but the Bronchos had an answer.
 
Philip Scott started off with a double, and Brett Hopkins scored him with a triple of his own. Joe Mondragon followed that with a single to left to score Hopkins and give the Bronchos a 5-1 lead.
 
UCO scored three in the bottom of the fourth. Freeman scored on a wild pitch, Hopkins doubled home Kyle Crowl, and Mondragon doubled home Hopkins. That made it 8-3.
 
Central followed that up with another three-run inning in the fifth. Freeman's single scored Dru Barrier. Takamatsu scored Freeman with a triple to center field, and Scott scored Takamatsu with a single to right. Central was up 11-3 after five.
 
Crowl scored Freeman in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to make it 12-3.
 
Mason Carrier singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth to leadoff. Bertus followed that with a single. Then Chase Freeman singled in a pinch-hit appearance. Then Laurence stepped up and finished it off with a grand slam. Carrier, Chase  Freeman, and Laurence all earned hits in their first career plate appearance for the Bronchos in the eighth inning.
 
Luke Anderson got the start for the Bronchos Saturday. He threw 3 2/3, allowing three hits and three runs. The right-hander did strike out six. Nick Vickers followed Anderson and struck out two in one inning, allowing one hit and three walks.
 
Colton Croft earned the win out of the bullpen for effective duty. Croft threw 3 1/3, allowed two hits, no runs, and struck out five.
 
The Bronchos struck out 13 on the day to follow up a 19-strikeout performance on Friday night.
 
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