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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Fredric Walter
Fredric Walter provided the winning hit Tuesday.
3
Benedictine College BC 34-16
4
Winner Oklahoma City University OCU 34-18
Benedictine College BC
34-16
3
Final
4
Oklahoma City University OCU
34-18
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E
Benedictine College BC 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 8 3
Oklahoma City University OCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 4 13 0

W: Lierle, Bryson (1) L: Rudolph, Isaac (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

OCU walks off in 13 innings 4-3 vs. Benedictine

Walter pounds decisive home run in bottom of 13th inning for Stars

WESTWEGO, La. – Fredric Walter delivered the winning home run in Oklahoma City University's 4-3 victory in 13 innings over Benedictine (Kan.) on Tuesday at Segnette Field in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round New Orleans Bracket.
Walter launched his eighth homer of the year to center field with one out in the bottom of the 13th. The 20th-ranked Stars (34-18) face ninth-ranked Loyola (La.) at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Denney Crabaugh collected his 1,550th career win as Oklahoma City coach. OCU has gone 1,550-486-2 in 33 years under Crabaugh. Crabaugh ranks fourth in all-time coaching wins among NAIA baseball while directing the Stars to the 2005 national title, 14 NAIA World Series appearances and the most victories in college baseball since 1991.
The Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. John Anthon smacked a run-scoring base hit to left field for OCU's first run. Hunter Hughes brought home Tanner Sparks with the tying run on an infield single.
OCU and Benedictine traded runs in the 12th inning. Daryl Myers hit a solo shot to left in the top of the inning for Benedictine. Bryson Lierle nailed an RBI single into shallow right field to even the score for the Stars. Gunner Halter led off the bottom of the 12th with a base hit, then scored on Lierle's hit.
Lierle, a senior right-hander from Altus, Okla., earned the win. Lierle (2-1) worked the final 4.1 innings and struck out four. Lierle, the Stars' regular third baseman, had pitched 20.1 innings in his OCU career without allowing an earned run until Myers' 12th-inning homer. Lierle retired Benedictine in order in the 11th and the 13th.
Tyler Polk started for OCU on the mound and went 8.2 innings while giving up two runs on five hits and a walk. Polk, a redshirt freshman righty from Duncan, Okla., fanned four.
"They've been that way all year," Crabaugh said of his pitching staff's determination. "Tyler, this is his second straight outing – he's been our closer most of the year – where he's started and given us the big game. Bryson is just a warrior. He just goes out there and says it's my game, nobody else is coming in and I trust his heart on that. I couldn't be happier for the guys."
Walter went 0-for-3 before nailing the walk-off blast.
"We had to win," Walter said. "We won. We have to go hard now and leave everything on the field."
Jared Hazeldine, a junior from Norman, Okla., turned in a 3-for-5 day with a stolen base. Halter, a senior from Overland Park, Kan., went 2-for-6 and scored a run. Every starter for OCU notched a hit.
The Stars had their longest game since winning in 13 innings 9-8 over Texas Wesleyan on April 7, 2017 at Jim Wade Stadium.


 
NAIA Championship Opening Round
New Orleans Bracket
At New Orleans
Segnette Field
Monday's Results
No. 5 Ottawa (Kan.) 5, No. 4 Benedictine (Kan.) 2
No. 2 Keiser (Fla.) 8, No. 3 Oklahoma City 0
Tuesday's Results
Ottawa 4, No. 1 Loyola (La.) 1
Oklahoma City 4, Benedictine 3, 13 inn., Benedictine eliminated
Keiser 19, Ottawa 5
Wednesday's Games
Game 6: Oklahoma City (34-18) at Loyola (36-14), 11 a.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Ottawa (37-19), 3 p.m.
Game 8: Keiser (35-16) vs. Winner Game 7, 7 p.m., championship
Thursday's Game
Game 9: If necessary, TBA
 
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