OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University's second-ranked baseball team trounced Bacone 19-1 Wednesday at Jim Wade Stadium.
Beltran, a junior from Long Beach, Calif., was 3-for-3, drove in five runs and belted his team-leading 11th home run of the season for the Stars. Carman, a junior from Midwest City, Okla., finished the night 4-for-4 with four RBIs. Walker, a senior from Bakersfield, Calif., contributed a 3-for-3 effort with two RBIs in the run-ruled game.
Mike Richard picked up the win to move to 3-0 on the season. Richard, a left-handed senior from Walla Walla, Wash., struck out four and gave up four hits and the sole run for Bacone. A trio from the OCU bullpen closed out the night striking out five of the ten batters they faced.
Dearth Parker and Matt Presley saw time on the mound for the first time this season, a departure from their usual positions on the field. Parker, a senior from Roff, Okla., gave up one hit and struck out three as he pitched the seventh and final inning for the Stars.
OCU started the night with a four-run first as they streaked through the order. Ruben Sosa, a junior from Lawrence, Mass., took two bags to net his 38th steal of the season. This marks puts Sosa at third in the NAIA for total stolen bases. The Stars followed with two more in the second, including Beltran's two-run dinger.
OCU added five in the third to put the contest out of hand. Bacone put up their only run of the night in the top of the fourth when Casey Gillespie poked a double to left center to bring in pinch-runner Garland Norton. The bottom of the fourth inning saw eight runs cross the plate for the home team as 13 OCU batters made it to the plate.
OCU travels to 18th-ranked Rogers State for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday at the Hillcat Complex in Claremore, Okla.
