OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University belted four home runs en route to a 13-4 victory over Southern Nazarene on Tuesday at Jim Wade Stadium in the Sooner Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
Terrance Jackson, a junior from Greenville, Ala., spearheaded the Stars (43-13) by cranking two homers and driving in six runs. OCU, ranked seventh in the NAIA, will face fifth-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Jackson went 3-for-4 and scored three times. Jackson nailed a grand slam off the net past left field in the second inning to put OCU ahead 6-1, then pounded a two-run blast to left-center in the fourth to make it 9-4.
In the first, Jackson led off with a double down the left-field foul line. Steve Vitale smashed a drive over the right-field wall for a two-run homer and a 2-1 Stars edge. Southern Nazarene intentionally walked Jackson in the fifth before striking Jackson out in the seventh.
“I thought I saw the ball well,” Jackson said. “After my first at-bat, I got into a rhythm and maintained it.”
OCU built a 7-1 third-inning lead after Garrett Regan hammered an opposite-field solo shot over the left-field wall.
After Southern Nazarene scored three runs in the fourth, the Stars plated four unanswered runs. Brian Fisher scored on an error in the fifth. In the sixth, Regan smacked an RBI triple to right, and Mark Purser had a sacrifice fly.
Mike Richard and Zac Tidholm combined to keep the Crimson Storm scoreless those final five innings. Richard went seven innings and struck out five while logging 123 pitches. Richard, a junior left-hander from Walla Walla, Wash., improved to 9-3.
Tidholm, a junior lefty from Mustang, Okla., struck out Tanner Roberson with the bases loaded to end the game.
Southern Nazarene stranded 13 runners in the game. Andrew Steinmeyer took the loss for the Crimson Storm.
Regan, a senior from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs driven in. Fisher went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Matt Presley was 2-for-5 and scored twice. Chad Carman had two hits.
Boxscore
Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament
At Oklahoma City
Jim Wade Stadium
Monday's Results
Lubbock Christian 12, Rogers State 8
Oklahoma City 15, Northwestern 13
Southern Nazarene 10, Wayland Baptist 6
Tuesday's Games
Game 4: Northwestern 6, Rogers State 3, RSU eliminated
Game 5: Lubbock Christian 8, Wayland Baptist 3, WBU eliminated
Game 6: Oklahoma City 13, Southern Nazarene 4
Game 7: Northwestern 19, Southern Nazarene 12, SNU eliminated
Wednesday's Games
Game 8: Lubbock Christian vs. Oklahoma City, 10 a.m.
Game 9: Northwestern vs. Loser Game 8, 1 p.m.
Thursday's Games
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 10 a.m., championship
Game 11: If necessary, 1 p.m.
