LEWISTON, Idaho – Oklahoma City University notched its 12th 50-win season in a row with an 8-0 victory over California Baptist on Friday night at Harris Field in the NAIA World Series.
The sixth-ranked Stars improved to 50-14 on the year. OCU has the most wins in the nation in college baseball since 1991 with 1,023. The Stars advanced to a Monday contest vs. Cumberland (Tenn.) at 5 p.m. Central time.
OCU advanced to its 12th NAIA World Series and third consecutive trip to Lewiston, Idaho. OCU has now opened its series trip with a win in seven consecutive World Series appearances. Third-ranked California Baptist fell to 48-14.
“It is a reward for the season we have had,” OCU coach Denney Crabaugh said. “We want to play one game a day. We need to go and play hard. They have been playing baseball all their lives, and no need to change anything.”
Chad Carman staked OCU to a 1-0 lead by pounding a home run over the center-field wall with two outs in the second inning.
The Stars added a run in the fifth after Garrett Regan drew a leadoff walk. Regan made it to second base on a balk, then Carman hit a sacrifice bunt to get Regan to third. Mark Purser grounded out to bring Regan home.
In the seventh, Scott Dalrymple knocked a suicide squeeze bunt down the first-base line to score Regan from third. Regan led off the inning with a base hit up the middle. Carman doubled to right to put runners on second and third base.
The Stars tacked on five runs in the ninth. Purser bounced a hit into center field to score Dearth Parker, who was running for Regan. Dalrymple was hit by pitch, then Drew McAdoo loaded the bases on a walk.
Brian Fisher cleared the bases with a two-out double down the left-field foul line. Matt Presley put OCU up 8-0 on a single to right.
Dustin Williams scattered six hits and four walks to notch his second shutout and seventh complete game of the year. Williams, a senior right-hander from Norman, Okla., struck out seven in improving to 13-2.
“He was getting ahead of the hitters and able to throw all his pitches in any of the counts,” Crabaugh said about Williams. “He was tough to handle. It was huge that he went the full game to save our bullpen tonight.”
The Stars kept California Baptist off the scoreboard even though the Lancers loaded the bases in the fourth. Matt Marnati led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, then Garrett Rau singled to put runners on first and second.
Brian Sharp followed with a double, but OCU threw out Marnati at the plate. Purser in left fired to Dalrymple at third, then Dalrymple gunned the ball to Carman to complete the play.
Williams struck out Othman, but walked Zach Hedges to fill the bases. Williams retired Drew Madrigal on a fly ball to right to retire the side.
California Baptist left two more runners on in the eighth. Williams got two outs, then Rau singled and Sharp walked. Williams got Othman on a grounder back to the mound to finish the inning.
Carman, a sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., went 3-for-3 with his 14th homer of the year, and Fisher, a sophomore from Spring, Texas, went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. Presley, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Kirk Walker was 2-for-5, and Regan went 1-for-2 with two walks and scored twice. Purser went 1-for-4, scored a run and drove in two runs.
Boxscore
NAIA World Series
At Lewiston, Idaho
Harris Field
All Times Central
Friday's Results
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 3, Tennessee Wesleyan 2, 12 inn.
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) 9, Belhaven (Miss.) 1
Lee (Tenn.) 7, Lubbock Christian (Texas) 6
Oklahoma City 8, California Baptist 0
Saturday's Games
Game 5: Belhaven vs. Lubbock Christian, 10:30 a.m.
Game 6: California Baptist vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 2 p.m.
Game 7: Cumberland (Tenn.) vs. Embry-Riddle, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) vs. Point Loma Nazarene, 9:30 p.m.
Monday's Games
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7, 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8, 2 p.m.
Game 12: Oklahoma City vs. Winner Game 7, 5 p.m.
Game 11: Lee vs. Winner Game 8, 9 p.m.
Tuesday's Games
Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 12, 5 p.m.
Game 15: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 9 p.m.
June 2-4
Game 16 and 17 pairings to be determined by tournament committee
