OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City improved its chances of hosting s first-round Sooner Athletic Conference postseason series with a pair of one-run wins on Friday over College of the Ozarks, 6-5 and 5-4.
 
OCU produced late rallies to take both games.
 
OCU 6, Ozarks 5
 
The College of the Ozarks scored three times in the top of the first and added two more in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
 
Eli Hill singled in a run in the second inning and the Stars came up huge in the sixth. Wyatt Pace homered to make it a 5-2 game and Sammy Ponce delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to make it 5-3. Aiden Alexander delivered the fatal blow with a three-run home run.
 
Tanner Ellis (1-4) got the win in relief with a scoreless sixth inning.
 
A pair of soft singles and a hit batsman loaded the bases with no outs but Nick Anaya worked out of the jam by striking out three consecutive batters for the first of his two saves on the day.
 
OCU had nine hits, led by Pace with three and Cooper Holtorf with two.
 
OCU 5, Ozarks 4
 
Cayden Maxwell (3-8) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning but the Bobcats tied the score with four runs in the sixth.
 
OCU had a 4-0 lead on an RBI single Hill in the second, back-to-back home runs by Trent Baker and Aiden Van Rensum in the third and another solo home run by Van Rensum in the fifth.
 
With two outs and no runners on base in the bottom of the sixth, the game was interrupted for just over an hour with a weather delay.
 
When play resumed, Alexander produced a single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Brittain Brewer for the final margin.
 
The Bobcats again loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but Anaya got a called strike three to end the game.
 
OCU had seven hits, led by Van Rensum with two.
 
The teams finish the series with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.