Bison Rout RiverHawks, 15-2

SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist got five no-hit innings from AJ Merkel and backed that up with 20 hits for a 15-2 win over Northeastern State Tuesday night.
 
Merkel (1-0), making his first start after five relief appearances for the Bison, struck out seven and walked five batters in five scoreless innings, but his pitch count rose above 100 and a long eight-run Bison bottom of the fifth shortened his outing.
 
OBU broke a scoreless tie with that eight-run outburst, collecting eight hits in the inning. Bob English had an RBI double to start the scoring parade. Dustyn Cook added an RBI single and Kevin Olmeda belted a two-run double. Zane Gelphman tagged on a two-run single and Hunter Heath singled in a run for a 7-0 lead. The eighth run crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
 
The Bison scored five more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Gelphman, an RBI single by Josh Timms, a two-run single by Nick Burnham and a run-scoring single by Austin Whittaker.
 
Austin Cooper produced with an RBI ground out and Heath doubled in a run in the seventh for the final margin.
 
Heath, in his first game back from injury, had four hits while Olmeda and Gelphman had three each. Timms, English, Burnham, Whittaker and Cook had two hits apiece.
 
Now 9-8, the Bison return to Great American Conference action with a 3 p.m. home game against Arkansas-Monticello Friday.