LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma City University rallied for a 4-3 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Wednesday in the Sooner Athletic Conference baseball tournament at Hays Field.

The Stars (42-9) seized the early leg up in their pool in moving to 1-0 in the tournament. OCU, ranked second in the NAIA, overcame a 3-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth inning and two runs in the eighth.

With one out in the eighth, Julien Pollard hammered a two-run home run over the left-field wall to erase Oklahoma Christian's 3-2 lead. Kirk Walker drew a base on balls and stole second base prior to Pollard's blast, his 12th of the year.

In the sixth, OCU got on the scoreboard with Matt Presley's RBI single to right. Walker scored on Presley's hit from second after Pollard drew a walk. Pollard reached home plate on Austin Messerli's infield hit.

In the ninth, Oklahoma Christian put the tying run on second. Clint Bowker singled to lead off the inning. Josh Balch had a sacrifice bunt to get Bowker to second. Allen Townsend responded by striking out Tyler Gipson and Jeff Davis to clinch the OCU victory.

Townsend, a junior left-hander from San Diego, picked up the victory to move to 7-1. Townsend worked the final 1.2 innings. Townsend came on in the eighth with a runner on first and retired the side with a double-play ball.

Corey Theriot, a senior right-hander from Iowa, La., struck out four and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in 7.1 innings for the Stars. Dustin Andrews took the loss for Oklahoma Christian.

Messerli, a senior from Norman, Okla., went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Pollard, a senior from Tacoma, Wash., scored twice and drove in two runs while going 1-for-2. Walker, a senior from Bakersfield, Calif., went 1-for-3 and scored twice, and Presley, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., was 1-for-3 with a run driven in.

OCU faces Rogers State at 2 p.m. Thursday in Plainview, Texas.
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