OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University advanced to the title game of the NAIA Championship Opening-Round Field 2 Tournament with a 14-10, 10-inning victory over LSU-Shreveport on Wednesday at Jim Wade Stadium.

The Stars, ranked second in NAIA baseball, used Jason Machado's two-run double in the top of the 10th to take the lead. OCU (50-7) notched its 11th consecutive 50-win season.

The game between McKendree (Ill.) and Texas Wesleyan was suspended due to severe weather Wednesday night. The game is scheduled to resume at noon Thursday with McKendree leading 10-8 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The McKendree-Texas Wesleyan winner will take on No. 19 LSU-Shreveport at approximately 1 p.m. Then OCU will play for a berth in the NAIA World Series at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Brent Weaver of OCU homered twice to leave him one home run shy of tying the NAIA single-season record. Beau Mills of Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) hit a record 38 homers in 2007. Weaver, a senior from Midwest City, Okla., pounded a solo shot over the right-center field wall leading off the third, then crushed a two-run blast to left in the sixth that knotted the game at eight runs each.

The Stars overcame a six-run deficit. Machado, a senior from Frisco, Texas, lined a shot near the left-field wall to drive in two runs with no outs in the top of the 10th. Machado scored on Brandon Moss' double to left, and David Mann drove in another run with an infield hit.

“It is a testimony to the confidence and maturity of our players,” OCU coach Denney Crabaugh said. “They never panicked even when we were down 8-2. They knew they could do it. It all began with the outstanding pitching performance of Dustin Williams. He gave us the chance to get back into it.”

OCU relief pitcher Zac Coplon forced a ground-ball out and struck out Chase Wentz with runners on second base and third base to end the game. Brad Riddle picked up the victory to move to 2-1 on the year.

Dustin Williams, a junior from Norman, Okla., turned in five innings of shutout relief, allowing two hits and striking out seven. Williams left in the ninth with a runner on that eventually scored.

LSU-Shreveport took an 8-2 advantage with a six-run fourth. Jeffrey Garidel had a lead-off solo homer, then Stephen Hobbins reached home on an error. David Bradley had an RBI single, and Quinton Shamsabady nailed a three-run homer.

OCU cut its deficit to 8-6 in the fifth. The Stars took advantage of three errors to score three times, then Moss had a sacrifice fly to right.

Mann put the Stars up 9-8 on an RBI single in the seventh, then cranked a solo homer to left in the ninth that gave OCU a 10-8 lead.

LSU-Shreveport tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Garidel brought in a run on a grounder, and Hobbins drove in the tying run on a base hit to left to set up OCU's heroics.

Moss, a senior from Norman, Okla., went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Weaver was 3-for-6 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Mann, a junior from Albuquerque, N.M., was 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Steve Vitale went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.

OCU has the nation's winningest college baseball program over the past decade. OCU had 583 victories from 1999-2008, more than such powers as Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (521), Florida State (516) or Rice (510). Crabaugh, an NAIA hall of famer, reached 1,000 career wins this year.
Boxscore

NAIA Championship Opening Round
Field 2 Tournament
At Jim Wade Stadium
Tuesday's Results
Game 1: Texas Wesleyan 9, McKendree (Ill.) 8
Game 2: LSU-Shreveport 8, Southern Nazarene 5
Game 3: Oklahoma City 6, Texas Wesleyan 2
Wednesday's Results
Game 4: McKendree (Ill.) 12, Southern Nazarene 11, SNU eliminated
Game 5: Oklahoma City 14, LSU-Shreveport 10, 10 inn.
Game 6: McKendree (Ill.) vs. Texas Wesleyan, suspended due to weather in eighth inning
Thursday's Games
Game 6: McKendree (Ill.) vs. Texas Wesleyan, noon, to resume suspended game
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. LSU-Shreveport, 1 p.m. or 45 minutes after Game 6
Game 8: Oklahoma City vs. Winner Game 7, 4:30 p.m. or 45 minutes after Game 7, championship
Friday's Game
Game 9: If necessary, noon