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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Zac Freeman
10
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 12-10, 6-5 MIAA
6
Fort Hays State FHSU 3-20, 2-9 MIAA
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
12-10, 6-5 MIAA
10
Final
6
Fort Hays State FHSU
3-20, 2-9 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 5 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 10 13 0
Fort Hays State FHSU 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 6 12 0

W: Bailey, Jacob (1-3) L: Sanchez,Sammy (2-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Win Series Opener At Fort Hays State

Zac Freeman Sets UCO Single Game Stolen Base Record In MIAA Road Victory

HAYS, Kan. – The UCO baseball team returned to the field continuing a marathon of a two-week stretch with a three-game series at Fort Hays State. The Bronchos took Game 1 10-6 at Larks Park Friday evening.
 
A big second inning rally gave Central a solid start on offense and the Bronchos kept it up throughout the game to pick up their second MIAA win in a row.
 
UCO is 12-10 overall this season following Friday's contest. The Bronchos are 6-5 in MIAA games. The two schools are scheduled to play Game 2 Saturday and Game 3 Sunday with both contests beginning at 1 p.m.
 
"Today was good overall," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "There are always things you can take away to try and work on and get better, but overall it was good to start the series with a win."
 
Central scattered 13 hits on Friday night, with eight of nine Bronchos in the lineup recording at least one.
 
Landen Wood, who went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored, led the way.
 
Zac Freeman went 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. He also swiped five stolen bases to set a new UCO single game record. Eleven players have stolen four bases in one game, with the most recent in 2019. Freeman now stands alone atop that mark in the UCO record book.
 
Austin Lambert also had a multi-hit game. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and one RBI.
 
Central Oklahoma used five arms again Friday in a strategy that's becoming the norm for the Bronchos. Owen Logan started and threw 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits and walk. He struck out one batter.
 
Jacob Bailey, who would go on to pick up the win, threw 3 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and no walks and struck out five in the game.
 
Lawson Isaacs threw one inning, allowing two runs on three hits and walk. Coby Grimsley threw 1/3 of an inning and allowed one run on two hits. And Kyler Patterson threw 2 2/3 innings to close out the game. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out four.
 
Wyatt Gray put Central on the board in the top of the second inning Friday with a single to left field that scored Noah Olson, who singled himself earlier in the inning.
 
Freeman singled after that, then stole his first base of the afternoon, before Wood singled to center field and scored both Gray and Freeman to give Central a 3-0 lead.
 
After Jaden Parsons was hit by a pitch, Clayton Peterson singled to right to score Wood and Parsons and give UCO a 5-0 lead.
 
Wood led off the fourth with another single and then scored on a Peterson groundout later in the inning. Garrett Takamatsu also singled in the inning and scored when Lambert drove him in with a two-out single up the middle to give Central a 7-2 lead.
 
The Bronchos then scored one run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
 
Freeman's big day was aided by a wild fifth. He reached on an infield single to get on before stealing second, then third. With runners now on the corners, Parsons started an attempt to steal second and when Hays threw down, Freeman took off for home. He was credited with his fourth stolen base after Parsons retreated to first and UCO led 8-2.
 
Olson scored Takamatsu with an RBI groundout in the sixth to make it 9-2.
 
In the seventh, Freeman drew a walk, then stole second for the record. He would score on Wood's single to right field to give UCO a 10-4 lead.

UCO as a team stole 11 bases on Friday, which ties a single-game high in seven seasons under Martin. The last time Central stole 11 bases was March 9, 2016 in a win over Northwestern Oklahoma State.  
 
 
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