Baseball 5/29/2012 12:34:00 AM

LSU-Shreveport rallies past OCU 5-4

Stars bow out of 2012 NAIA World Series

Miguel Beltran ended his season with 27 home runs to top college baseball this year.

LEWISTON, Idaho – Oklahoma City University suffered a season-ending loss 5-4 to LSU-Shreveport on Tuesday at Harris Field in the NAIA World Series.
The third-ranked Stars finished its year at 48-12. Top-ranked LSU-Shreveport stood among the four teams left in the World Series – Lee (Tenn.), Rogers State and Tennessee Wesleyan.
The Stars completed its fifth consecutive run to the NAIA World Series and 14th trip in program history. OCU has the most wins of any college baseball program since 1991 at 1,118.
Miguel Beltran hammered his nation-high 27th home run to provide OCU a 4-3 lead with none out in the fifth inning. Chad Carman preceded Beltran's blast over the left-center field wall with a base hit leading off the Stars' half of the inning.
Greg Friesen tied the game for LSU-Shreveport with a solo shot with two out in the eighth. The Stars left the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning as Logan Norris struck out Kyle Lacy for the second out. Norris intentionally walked Chris Muñoz to fill the bases, then got Carman to hit a grounder to shortstop Manny Estrada to end the inning.
In the ninth, Stephen Hobbins drew a walk, then was replaced by pinch runner Jacob Lopez. Lopez stole third base, then scored the winning run on Brandon Cooksey's ground ball to third.
Friesen staked LSU-Shreveport to a 3-0 first-inning lead by nailing a three-run homer to right. Dane Phillips answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. In the second, Muñoz pounded a double to right-center to cut OCU's deficit to 3-2.
Muñoz went 2-for-3, doubled, scored a run and drove in a run. Phillips went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Norris (9-1) earned the win by working eight innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks. Norris struck out six. Cam Ellis picked up the first two outs of the ninth, while Jake Kight notched a strikeout for the final out and his fourth save of the year.
Ryan Gibson started on the mound for OCU, while Patrick Goelz pitched the final 1.1 innings, taking the loss. Cody Crabaugh tossed 6.2 shutout innings, permitting four hits.
OCU set its single-season team record with a 2.73 earned run average, beating out the 2004 team's 2.87 ERA.
The Stars bid farewell to seven seniors – Beltran, Carman, Brian Fisher, Rich Hawkins, Jerod Peper, Blake Schwartz and Allen Townsend. OCU went 198-49 these past four years with four NAIA World Series berths, a tie for third in the 2009 World Series, four NAIA Championship Opening Round titles, two Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season titles and the 2010 SAC Tournament crown.
Beltran, a senior first baseman from Long Beach, Calif., finished his OCU career with 158 hits, 107 runs, 33 doubles, two triples, 39 homers and 140 RBIs. Beltran was a two-time all-SAC selection, SAC gold glover and the 2012 SAC player of the year.
Carman, a senior catcher-outfielder from Midwest City, Okla., amassed 263 hits, 72 runs, 65 doubles, seven triples, 30 homers and 165 RBIs in his career. Carman is a three-time all-SAC performer, two-time SAC gold glover, 2010 honorable-mention NAIA all-American and 2010 NAIA gold glove award winner. Carman's accolades include 2012 CoSIDA college-division academic all-America of the year, two-time CoSIDA academic all-American and all-district, two-time Jim Wade Award winner as OCU's male student-athlete of the year and NAIA scholar-athlete.
Fisher, a senior second baseman from Spring, Texas, was a two-time SAC gold glover and an NAIA scholar-athlete award winner. Fisher recorded 159 hits, 141 runs, 39 doubles, five triples, 18 homers and 124 RBIs as a Star.
Hawkins, a senior left-handed pitcher-designated hitter from Edmond, Okla., broke OCU's career ERA record with a 2.01 mark. He went 22-7 with 10 complete games, four shutouts and 151 strikeouts in 192.1 innings. Hawkins also had 46 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, two homers and 28 RBIs with OCU. He became a two-time first-team all-SAC performer and a 2011 honorable-mention all-American.
Peper, a senior right-hander from Adair, Okla., had a win, 10 appearances, nine innings pitched and 16 strikeouts in his only season as a Star.
Schwartz, a senior righty from Rosemount, Minn., went 11-4 with a 3.74 ERA, a shutout and 113 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched this year. He took second-team all-league honors.
Townsend, a senior lefty from San Diego, posted an 8-2 record, 4.01 ERA, five complete games and 91 strikeouts in 103.1 innings in his career.

NAIA World Series
At Lewiston, Idaho
Harris Field
Times CDT
Friday, May 25
Point Park (Pa.) 7, College of Idaho 3
Rogers State 3, South Carolina-Beaufort 2
Tennessee Wesleyan 17, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 3
Oklahoma City 7, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 2
Saturday's Results
South Carolina-Beaufort 7, Embry-Riddle 2, Embry-Riddle eliminated
Lewis-Clark State 5, College of Idaho 1, College of Idaho eliminated
Lee (Tenn.) 9, Point Park 3
Rogers State 2, LSU-Shreveport 1
Monday's Results
Point Park 12, South Carolina-Beaufort 8, South Carolina-Beaufort eliminated
LSU-Shreveport 7, Lewis-Clark State 3, Lewis-Clark State eliminated
Tennessee Wesleyan 8, Rogers State 6
Lee 7, Oklahoma City 3
Tuesday's Results
Game 13: Rogers State 8, Point Park 6, Pt. Park eliminated
Game 14: LSU-Shreveport 5, Oklahoma City 4, OCU eliminated
Game 15: Tennessee Wesleyan 13, Lee 3
Wednesday's Games
Game 16: Lee vs. Rogers State, 5 p.m.
Game 17: LSU-Shreveport vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday's Game
Game 18: Championship, 9 p.m.
Friday's Game
Game 19: If necessary, 9 p.m.

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