Baseball 5/10/2013 11:15:00 PM

OCU edges USAO 7-6 in 11 innings

Jensen steals home as Stars move on in Opening Round

Chase Jensen smashed his 11th home run Friday night.

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University outlasted USAO 7-6 in an 11-inning affair Friday at Jim Wade Stadium in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket.
Chase Jensen slid into home plate with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th to keep the Stars alive in the tournament. Second-ranked OCU (48-12) faces Jamestown (N.D.) at 11 a.m. Friday in another elimination game.
USAO (41-19) finished its season with a single-season program high for wins. Fifteenth-ranked Sterling (Kan.) awaits the winner of the 11 a.m. game in the championship game 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
With Walker Davidson at bat and Jensen at third base, Davidson tried a squeeze-play bunt. Davidson did not make contact on the pitch, but Jensen had sped down the foul line already.
Jensen avoided the tag attempt of USAO catcher Owen Adams around the batter's box, then dove into home for the winning run.
Jensen led off the bottom of the 11th with a base hit past the second baseman. Jensen stole second and reached third on a wild pitch. Chris Wallis grounded out to the shortstop for the first out of the inning. Konrad Mueller held Jensen on third before throwing to first to get Wallis.
In the top of the ninth, Mueller sent the game to extra innings with a two-out single past the diving Jensen to score Austin Ardrey from second. Daniel Edwards cut USAO's deficit to 6-5 on a fielder's choice ground ball to third base before Mueller's hit. Edwards tried to score from third on a pitch that got past Wallis, but Wallis recovered the ball to throw it to Davis Henderson to get Edwards out at home.
OCU took a 6-4 eighth-inning lead as Jensen legged out an infield hit while Adam Clark scored. Forrest Smith put the Stars in front 5-4 by lining a double to left field to score Jonathan Rodriguez from first also in the eighth.
The Drovers' Blake Pruett socked a two-run home run to right field to knot the game 4-4 in the seventh.
Jensen pounded a two-run blast over the right-field wall for a 4-2 Stars advantage in the fourth.
OCU responded after USAO got out to a 2-0 second-inning edge in the bottom of the inning. Wallis belted a two-run double into the right-center field gap to tie the game 2-2.
Zach Gonzalez nailed a two-run shot to left to give USAO a 2-0 second-inning lead.
Jensen, a senior from Arlington, Texas, went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two steals and three RBIs, while Rodriguez, a junior from Anaheim, Calif., went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored. Smith, a junior from Bakersfield, Calif., was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored for OCU.
Henderson, a senior right-hander from Spring, Texas, took the victory, moving to 6-2. Henderson worked the final three innings with three strikeouts. Derek Howell started, went eight innings and struck out eight for the Stars.

NAIA Championship Opening Round
Oklahoma City Bracket
At Jim Wade Stadium
Thursday's Results
Jamestown (N.D.) 8, Northwestern (Iowa) 5, 14 inn.
Sterling (Kan.) 8, USAO 5
Jamestown 3, Oklahoma City 0
Friday's Results
Game 4: USAO 5, Northwestern (Iowa) 4, Northwestern eliminated
Game 5: Sterling 13, Jamestown 3
Game 6: Oklahoma City 7, USAO 6, 11 inn.
Saturday's Games
Game 7: Jamestown vs. Oklahoma City, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Sterling vs. Winner Game 7, 2:30 p.m., championship
Monday's Game
Game 9: If necessary, noon

NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Gallery

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