SHAWNEE – Alex Schroeder had two home runs in the opener before a bases-loaded, walk for
Dan Pruitt in the bottom of the seventh helped Oklahoma Baptist defeat Harding twice on Saturday.
OBU won 14-4 and 2-1 to even its record at 6-6 and improve to 2-3 in the Great American Conference.
GAME ONE
Schroeder led an offensive onslaught against HU, with the Bison tallying 14 runs on 15 hits. It was the most runs allowed by the Harding pitching staff this year.
The green and gold set the tone in the first when they scored six runs on seven hits.
Isiah Lissade started the series with a triple to left field after a failed diving attempt by HU's Michael Dewald. Newcomer
Jayden Shafer then broke the scoreless tie with a run-scoring single through the left side. Two batters later, Schroeder went yard to left-center and pushed the lead to 3-0.
Over the rest of the frame,
Rafael Gutierrez and
Jose Parga delivered run-scoring singles to aid in the Bison's 6-0 lead.
A frame later, Pruitt got a ball over the right-field wall to push the OBU lead to 7-0.
Down 7-0, the Bisons made things a little uneasy in the third. There were two singles in the frame for the visitors, as well as a double by Seth Johnson, that produced runs. Plus, a throwing error by the hosts had HU down 7-4.
However, OBU starter
Brek Galbreath and his defense wouldn't give up anything after that. In fact, he kept a strong Harding offense off the scoreboard in the six other innings and earned seven strikeouts and also induced 10 fly-ball outs.
With that, the Bison continued to assault HU pitching. In the fourth, Schroeder added another two-run homer while Lissade drove in two with a single. Additionally, Parga and Shafer had RBI to push OBU ahead 14-4, the final margin.
GAME TWO
While Bison pitching ended up walking seven Harding batters, it never broke and allowed just one run to the visitors.
HU got the first run of the game in the second via a bases-loaded walk by Sawyer Price. Then in the home half of the frame, OBU got the equalizer as catcher
Troy Shields connected with a clutch, two-out RBI hit down the left-field line which scored
Kade Self.
That 1-1 score remained until the bottom the seventh.
OBU pitcher
Jake Hamilton was very good for a few innings until being replaced by newcomer
Logan Kimbro. From the third to early in the sixth, he limited Harding to just three base runners.
Hamilton would notch five strikeouts and get a few fly-ball outs to keep the score at 1-1.
When Kimbro entered in the sixth with one out, Harding was able to load the bases, but the left-handed pitcher got a fly ball to center off the bat of Johnson to keep the score at 1-1.
Then in the top of the seventh, Kimbro notched two strikeouts and an out to center to bring the Bison bats back up.
In the home half, OBU put its first three batters on base. Gutierrez walked, Parga singled and then Lissade drew another walk to load the bases. After a fielder's choice out at home, Pruitt then drew final blood for the Bison as he gained an RBI following another walk by Harding.
Parga ended up tallying the game-winning run.
Tomorrow at 12, the two teams will meet for the series finale.
