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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Colton Ayres
4
Ark.-Fort Smith UAFS 5-36, 4-28 MIAA
6
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 23-20, 14-15 MIAA
Ark.-Fort Smith UAFS
5-36, 4-28 MIAA
4
Final
6
Central Oklahoma UCO
23-20, 14-15 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Ark.-Fort Smith UAFS 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 9 2
Central Oklahoma UCO 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 6 5 0

W: Taylor, Logan (4-3) L: Lane Stringer (0-2) S: Berlowitz, Brody (6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Sweep Fort Smith

Central Oklahoma Wins 6-4 In Sunday's Finale

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma wrapped up its three-game MIAA series against Arkansas Fort Smith Sunday with a 6-4 victory at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
UCO improved to 23-20 on the season with the win and is now 14-15 in the MIAA.
 
"We obviously needed to get all three this weekend and the guys did a good job of staying focused on getting that done," UCO head baseball coach Robbie Rea said. "When you win big in the first two you know the last one is going to be difficult and today was. The guys did a great job of finding a way to get it done."
 
Central Oklahoma is now tied with Washburn for eighth place in the MIAA standings with two weeks remaining. The top 10 teams in the final standings qualify for the MIAA Baseball Championship May 6-9 hosted by UCO at Wendell Simmons Field. Both Washburn and Central Oklahoma are 1.0 game behind Missouri Western (15-14 MIAA) for seventh place and the two are also both 5.0 games ahead of 10th-place Fort Hays State (9-20) and 5.5 games ahead of 11th-place Northeastern State (8-20).
 
UCO and NSU play Tuesday. The Riverhawks still have one more game in their weekend series at Northwest Missouri on Monday and then will host the Bronchos in Tahlequah on Tuesday evening.
 
After an 18-3 win on Friday and a 17-7 win on Saturday, Sunday's finale came with more resistance from the Lions of Fort Smith, Arkansas. UAFS took a lead in the top of the first for the third straight game, and like the first two, UCO countered.
 
Colton Ayres hit a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning to tie it up, 1-1. He reached on a fielder's choice in the second, scoring Haden O'Toole for the go-ahead run. Elijah Alexander also scored on the play after an errant throw and the Bronchos led 3-1.
 
Fort Smith made it a one-score game in the fourth, but Kade Sheldon had a two-RBI single in the sixth to give the Bronchos a 5-2 lead. UAFS again made it a one-score game in the seventh, but Solomon Skalnik came through with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to give the Bronchos a 6-4 lead.
 
Logan Taylor got the start for the Bronchos and the win. The junior right-hander is 4-3 on the year. He threw 5.0 innings, struck out three batters, and allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk.
 
Mylan Childers got two strikeouts and a flyout in the sixth, Cortt Gentry came on in the seventh but gave up two runs on two hits and walk, and then Chase Yarger followed to get UCO out of the inning. He also threw the eighth and finished the day with 2.0 innings pitched and three strikeouts.
 
Brody Berlowitz threw the ninth and earned his sixth save of the season. The sophomore right-hander got a strikeout and a groundout, then after walking the next batter, got another groundout to end the game.
 
Alexander went 2-for-3 to lead the Bronchos. Ayres and Sheldon had one hit each. Drake Lee also had a single. UCO only had five hits in the game.
 
UCO travels to Tahlequah on Tuesday and then hosts No. 16 Central Missouri for a three-game series next weekend. The Bronchos will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, April 26 prior to first pitch.
 
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