OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City University Baseball and the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm got together for a meeting between two Oklahoma schools that once were conference foes. Tuesday's game certainly did not disappoint, seeing as the result was an exciting 9-8 score that ended in SNU getting the win against the Stars. The matchup was a scheduled one-game non-conference event. Since the days of old when these two programs shared a conference, the Crimson Storm has joined the ranks of NCAA Division II.  
 
SNU 9, Oklahoma City 8


Top Performers
Ethan Rhodes: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
Trent Kiraly: 3-5, RBI
 
The scoring started early in Tuesday's matchup between the Stars and the Storm. SNU used walks to get on the board first. Free passes from OCU set up an RBI single by Brady Benedict that scored Antonio Sabala in the first inning.
 
OCU answered in the third inning and took the lead—their first run was scored when Ethan Rhodes doubled and scored pinch runner Aiden Alexander. Following the Rhodes RBI, Nic Bennett plastered a triple off the center field wall, which scored Rhodes.  

However, in the fourth inning, the Crimson Storm thundered back with a five-run inning. Ryan Talley singled to score Blake Brinkmeyer, and then SNU tallied another run on a wild pitch before the Storm added another run on a bases-loaded walk by Benedict, resulting in SNU extending their lead to 4-2 over the Stars. After a SAC fly by Weston Hicks, Brinkmeyer singled to left field and drove in two runs.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, OCU shrunk SNU's lead from 7-2 down to 7-4 when Anthony Kopecky slashed a single to left field, scoring Barrett Daniel. Stars' second baseman, Hunter Lenochan, then proceeded to record a SAC fly, which resulted in Jack Johnson coming home to score.

The sixth and seventh innings belonged to the Stars, and their pitching stabilized. Bauer Britain came in and provided middle relief, recording over three innings pitched with four strikeouts and only one hit allowed. OCU secured a run on another SAC fly, this time by Kopecky, who collected his second RBI of the contest. In the seventh inning, Daniel recorded an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. The Stars tied the game at 7-7 when Oliver Falvey chipped in a pinch-hit SAC fly, driving in Bennett.
 
Both teams provided more fireworks in the eighth inning and tallied more runs. The Crimson Storm pushed across two go-ahead runs that sealed their victory, but the Stars made things extremely close when Trent Kiraly singled to right field to bring Lenochan home, making the score 9-8.
 
It had been six years since these two ball teams played one another, and Tuesday night brought excitement to the diamond on Denney Crabaugh Field.

Next Up
Oklahoma City will travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Wayland Baptist Pioneers. The three-game series will begin on Friday at 4:00 PM with a doubleheader, game two is scheduled for 7:00 PM. OCU will wrap the series up on Saturday with a game at 1:00 PM.   
 
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