SHAWNEE – Dan Pruitt was 5-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI as Oklahoma Baptist defeated Southern Nazarene 20-6 and clinched a berth into next weekend's Great American Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Pruitt's incredible night brought a host of notable benchmarks. His five hits and three homers each tied OBU's D2 single-game records in those categories.
The 6-foot-5 first baseman also ran his home run total to 22. Pruitt and teammate
Alex Schroeder, who has 21 bombs this spring, represent the first duo in GAC history to attain 20+ homers on the same team in a season.
Competition on this night went virtually all for the green and gold as they attained a 16-1 lead after just two frames.
In the first, Pruitt hit a two-run homer that scored
Walker Keller before
Cade Kissel's sacrifice fly sent home Schroeder. Then an inning later, the Bison unleashed fury on the visitors.
OBU scored 12 runs on 10 hits in the second while sending 17 batters to the box. Highlighting that inning was a three-run homer from
Trey Furrey, a shot that hit off the scoreboard in left-center field. Plus, Pruitt tallied another two-run bomb while
Isiah Lissade and Schroeder each delivered solo shots.
It went without saying, but the Bison defense didn't have to worry too much. On the mound,
Bo Dallas (6-4) tossed six frames, struck out six and induced seven fly-ball outs.
Tomorrow, the two teams will meet at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader. Prior to the first game, OBU will honor its senior class.
