SHAWNEE – Ouachita (23-17, 15-11 GAC) never trailed and earned two Great American Conference wins over Oklahoma Baptist (24-16, 13-13 GAC) on Friday at Bobby Cox Field. The visiting Tigers held on in game one, 16-15, before securing a 9-7 result in the second.
The defeats marked just the second time in 2024 that the Bison lost back-to-back at home.
GAME ONE
There were five, two-out walks issued in the first by Bison pitching which allowed Ouachita to build a 10-0 lead. On top of the free passes, the green and gold gave up a grand slam to Michael Quinones in that frame.
Despite digging a big hole early, the Bison rallied multiple times. In the bottom of the third, after
Troy Shields had hit homers in the previous two frames, Shields and
Will Joseph teamed up to drive in three more Bison runs. After three, it was 12-10 Ouachita.
A few innings passed before
Jayden Shafer got into the mix in the sixth. The junior nearly connected with a two-run bomb to left, however, a leaping G. Allen saved the long ball, resulting in a double. The Bison's
Jaden Wiley tallied that run and moved the count to 13-12.
OBU did have another couple chances to tie or even take the lead in the sixth but a popout and groundout ended those opportunities.
Despite inching closer, in the eighth, Joseph Bolin had a huge two-run homer to boost Ouachita to a 16-12 advantage.
In the ninth, with the Bison trailing 16-14, things continued to remain interesting.
Gabe Irwin hit a lead-off homer to right, pulling the hosts to within one, 16-15. The Bison's next two batters,
Isiah Lissade and Shafer, were then walked.
Alex Schroeder then laced a rope to Ouachita's shortstop for the second out before Shields was intentionally walked.
Chase Oberle then delivered a game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded to save the win for the Tigers.
By game's end, the Bison had stranded 17.
GAME TWO
Nine-hole hitter Collin Liles knocked a two-out, two-run homer in the second as the Tigers seized a 3-0 lead.
They held that advantage again, despite some solid hitting from the Bison.
In the bottom of the second, Joseph's chopper inside the first-base basepath deflected off a Ouachita glove and allowed Shields to score OBU's first run.
Then in the fourth, Irwin continued his strong play with a double to left center. That hit sent
Jacob Campbell home for the Bison's second run.
Bolin added another homer for Ouachita in the fifth to bump the visitor's lead to 6-2 before the Bison nearly rallied. Nine different OBU players made their way to the batter's box in the sixth. Shields highlighted the inning with a two-run double to left.
Austin Gonzales also had a run-scoring double. Those hits brought the scoreboard to 6-5, Ouachita.
Once more, though, Ouachita found some needed runs. In the seventh, Wesley Scott delivered a single that scored two before an RBI double by Isaac Nowell.
Despite allowing the Tigers a couple more runs, Shafer and the Bison kept the pressure up. A two-run single up the middle from the Bison's first baseman scored the team's sixth and seventh runs before the game was ended on a diving catch by G. Allen in left.
By the end of the doubleheader, Shields had gone 7-for-8 with nine RBI.
Tomorrow, the teams will close the series with a 12 p.m. contest.
