OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University used a monster six-run eighth inning to put away Lubbock Christian (Texas) 7-4 and sweep the three-game series Saturday at Jim Wade Stadium.
The Stars, ranked seventh in NAIA baseball, topped the fifth-ranked Chaparrals to move to 14-2, 7-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. Lubbock Christian fell to 14-3, 3-3. This marks the first OCU series sweep of Lubbock Christian since 2003 when the Stars went 4-0 against the Chaps.
OCU got six runs across the plate in the eighth inning to escape with the victory despite trailing for most of the contest. The Stars capitalized on two Lubbock Christian defensive errors in the penultimate inning. OCU's offense was sparked by a pair of triples by Ruben Sosa and Julien Pollard to take the lead and the game.
A Lubbock Christian throwing error allowed Scott Dalrymple to cross the plate. A Matt Presley single brought in Terrance Jackson to cut the Chaps lead to one. After a pitching change, Sosa's triple scored both Presley and Mark Purser to give OCU a 5-4 advantage. A Kirk Walker single brought in Sosa and was followed by Pollard's extra-base hit. The triple allowed Walker to score the final run of the inning and set the score at 7-4.
Lubbock Christian was three up and three down in the top of the ninth after fly outs by Ryan Burnaman and Nate Peterson were followed by a Mike Marshall ground out. Dalrymple, a senior from Beaverton, Ore., made a diving catch at third followed by a quick throw across the diamond to Miguel Beltran to record the final out of the game.
The Stars got on the board first with an RBI single from Chad Carman brought in Dalrymple in the second. The Chaps answered in the top of the third to square the game at 1-1. Lubbock Christian added another run in the fourth before building a 4-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning.
OCU had nine hits, compared to Lubbock Christian's seven in the game. Presley, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run. Sosa, a Lawrence, Mass., was 1-for-4 with a triple. He scored one run and brought in two for the Stars. Pollard, a senior from Tacoma, Wash., finished the day 2-for-5 from the plate with an RBI triple. The Stars' three other hits came off the bat of Walker, Carman and Dearth Parker.
OCU's Rich Hawkins picked up the win after pitching five innings in relief. Hawkins, a junior from Edmond, allowed three hits and two runs in 66 pitches. Lubbock Christian committed five errors in the game. All seven of OCU's scored runs were unearned.
The Stars face off against Iowa Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Sunday at Jim Wade Stadium.
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