LEWISTON, Idaho – Oklahoma City University finished off a record-breaking year with a 14-4 loss to Lubbock Christian (Texas) to tie for third in the NAIA World Series on Wednesday at Harris Field.
The second-ranked Stars ended the year 53-9. OCU set a team NAIA single-season record for home runs with 161, ran its streak of 50-win seasons to 11 and finished tied for third nationally for the third time in 12 trips to the World Series.
Lubbock Christian advanced, needing two victories to win the NAIA championship.
OCU also set team single-season records for batting average (.388) and slugging percentage (.714). Landon Camp broke the OCU career homer record, and Brent Weaver set the single-season homer record with 37 and fell one shy of the NAIA single-season record.
Lubbock Christian built a 5-0 first-inning lead and increased its advantage to 7-0 through the middle of the second. Lubbock Christian scored first on Tanner Rindels' groundout, then on Will Stramp's home run.
Dan Neumann added an RBI double, then Armando Dominguez had a two-run base hit.
Rob Learned put Lubbock Christian up 7-0 with a two-run single in the second.
OCU put two runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Chad Carman hit a fly ball that Rindels dropped in right field to score Jason Machado from second base. Kirk Walker hit a single to left to bring Brandon Moss home.
The Stars closed the gap to 12-4 in the eighth. David Mann scored on Walker's bases-loaded grounder. Weaver brought in a run with a bases-full walk. Shane Karnbach came on to pitch for Lubbock Christian and struck out B.J. Wheeler with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Walker went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs, while Camp went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Weaver added an RBI, and Carman was 1-for-3 as OCU had eight hits.
This year's group of seniors helped OCU go 210-44 in four years with two Sooner Athletic Conference championships, an SAC Tournament title, an NAIA Region VI crown, a Mid-South Super Regional title, an NAIA Championship Opening-Round tournament title and two trips to the NAIA World Series, including a third-place finish last year. OCU set a single-season national record for homers last year and broke it this year.
Michael Bryant finished his two-year OCU career with a 7-2 record and 47 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. Bryant, from Sperry, Okla., pitched two innings, fanned two and allowed one hit against Southern Polytechnic State (Ga.) on Tuesday night.
Tristan Bugenis, from Arlington, Texas, ended his two-year Stars career with a 3-0 record and 33 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Camp hit an OCU career record 65 homers, including 22 as a senior. He launched his record-breaking 56th home run against Northwestern Oklahoma on April 18. Camp, from Edmond, Okla., also hit .350 with 54 doubles and 235 RBIs in four years. He became an all-SAC selection this year.
Sammy Lee recorded a .373 average, 27 doubles, 20 homers, 88 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in two years for the Stars. Lee, from Ninnekah, Okla., made first-team all-SAC this year.
Machado, from Frisco, Texas, ended up with a .377 average, 21 homers and 85 RBIs as a senior.
Moss, from Norman, Okla., hit .382 with 26 doubles, 24 homers and 105 RBIs in two years with OCU.
David Odquist went 20-3 with a 4.62 earned run average, three complete games and 193 strikeouts in 150 innings pitched in two years with the Stars. Odquist, from Midwest City, Okla., was honorable-mention all-American, all-region and all-SAC as a junior.
Weaver hit his 28th homer of the year to set OCU's single-season record on April 23 against USAO, finishing with 37 homers this year. Weaver, from Midwest City, Okla., was named first-team NAIA all-American, all-Region VI and all-conference his junior year. Weaver became SAC player of the year as a senior. He ended with a .424 career average, 40 doubles, 61 homers and 180 RBIs in two years at OCU.
Wheeler had a .380 average, 31 doubles, 26 homers and 97 RBIs in two years with OCU. Wheeler, from Abilene, Texas, was named all-tournament in the 2008 NAIA World Series.
Boxscore
NAIA World Series
At Lewiston, Idaho
Harris Field
All Times Central
Friday, May 22
Lee (Tenn.) 5, Campbellsville (Ky.) 2
Berry (Ga.) 10, Southern Polytechnic State (Ga.) 5
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) 10, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 0, 8 inn.
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 5, Fresno Pacific (Calif.) 0
Saturday, May 23
Southern Polytechnic State 6, Campbellsville 5, Campbellsville eliminated
Fresno Pacific 8, Embry-Riddle 6, Embry-Riddle eliminated
Lubbock Christian (Texas) 11, Lee 0
Oklahoma City 10, Lewis-Clark State 8
Monday's Results
Lee 5, Fresno Pacific 4, Fresno Pacific eliminated
Southern Polytechnic State 9, Lewis-Clark State 6, Lewis-Clark State eliminated
Lubbock Christian 11, Berry 5
Point Loma Nazarene 8, Oklahoma City 3
Tuesday's Results
Lee 5, Berry 3, Berry eliminated
Oklahoma City 8, Southern Polytechnic State 4, 10 inn., Southern Polytechnic eliminated
Point Loma Nazarene 2, Lubbock Christian 1
Wednesday's Games
Lubbock Christian 14, Oklahoma City 4, Oklahoma City eliminated
Lee vs. Point Loma Nazarene
Thursday's Game
Lubbock Christian vs. TBA, 9 p.m.
Friday's Game
If necessary, TBA
