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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Kyler Patterson
3
East Central ECU 0-4
10
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 1-0
East Central ECU
0-4
3
Final
10
Central Oklahoma UCO
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East Central ECU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 7 1
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 1 X 10 12 1

W: Larson, Grant (1-0) L: Justin Chitty (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Central Opens 2021 Season With Victory

Bronchos Scatter A Dozen Hits In Rout Of RUSO Rival

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team whipped East Central 10-3 Tuesday night at Wendell Simmons Field in the 2021 regular season opener for the Bronchos.
 
Central is 1-0 now after a stout outing from five pitchers provided plenty of defense for an offense who got hot late.
 
"We got a little way to go still but it was just great to be back on the field," UCO sixth-year head coach John Martin said. "Our pitching was really good and that's always where we start. Once our hitters got going, they were good too. We know we can still improve though and now we'll look forward to the next one."
 
Kyler Patterson, Grant Larson, Jacob Bailey, Hunter Freese and Beaux Bonvillain each made an appearance for the Bronchos Tuesday evening and each one of them struck out two batters. Patterson threw three scoreless innings in his first career start. Larson threw three more scoreless innings in his Broncho debut – and picked up the win for his efforts.
 
Bailey did allow three runs but no hits in 1 1/3 innings of work. Freese allowed three hits that scored runs charged to Bailey. And Bonvillain, Central's closer, came on in the no-save situation to shut things down. He got two strikeouts before a groundout ended the game.
 
Central Oklahoma had five hits in five innings but had yet to score. In the sixth though, the Bronchos finally cracked the jar open.
 
Garrett Takamatsu led off with a walk before Philip Scott singled through the right side and advanced to second base as ECU tried – unsuccessfully – to throw Takamatsu out at third. Then Takamatsu scored on a wild pitch that also allowed Scott to get to third base.
 
Joe Mondragon followed that with a double over the left fielder's head to score Scott and make it 2-0, UCO.
 
In the seventh, it was more Central Oklahoma offense.
 
Ryan Harrel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before Zac Freeman smacked a soaring high fly ball to right field that drifted maybe a foot past the wall for a two-run home run that made it 4-0.
 
Then Colton Bertus was hit by a pitch. Then Takamatsu was hit by a pitch. After the first two outs of the inning, Mondragon was up again and once again, the senior delivered.
 
Mondragon singled up the middle through the infield and Bertus scored on the play to make it 5-0. Then Mondragon stole second before Cacy Harper drew a walk and Brett Hopkins smashed a grand slam to deep right center and made it 9-0, Central Oklahoma.
 
East Central scored its three runs in the top of the eighth inning. Scott singled in the bottom half of the inning to score Bertus, who walked earlier in the inning. That made it the final, 10-3.
 
Central Oklahoma finished with 12 hits on the day – three for extra bases.
 
Scott was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Harrel was 3-for-3 with a run scored. Mondragon went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and one run scored. And Hopkins also had two hits, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs and one run scored.
 
Central Oklahoma has now beaten East Central 11 consecutive times. All 11 have come since Martin became head coach.
 
The Bronchos were playing in their first game since March 10, 2020, when UCO beat East Central in Ada, Oklahoma. The pandemic shutdown followed, and last season's 17-3 UCO baseball team saw its season canceled.
 
Central Oklahoma will be back in action this weekend, taking on Newman in Wichita, Kansas for a three-game series beginning Friday.
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