BETHANY -- Oklahoma Baptist secured an 8-7 win over Southern Nazarene on Tuesday in Bethany, overcoming an early deficit and using a decisive ninth inning to pull ahead.
The hosts struck first, capitalizing on a two-run homer by Blake Brinkmeyer in the opening frame and adding two more runs in the second on Aiden McCullough's blast to take a 4-2 lead. Oklahoma Baptist answered quickly in the second inning as
Braden Smith and
Keenan Morris launched back-to-back solo shots to even the score.
The Crimson Storm regained a 5-4 advantage in the fifth, but the Bison continued to chip away.
Quinn Johnson's RBI walk in the sixth tied the game at 5-5, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
In the ninth, the green and gold broke through.
Tui Amosa tripled to lead off the inning and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Bison the lead at 6-5.
Mason Cox followed with an RBI double, and Morris added another clutch extra-base hit to extend the advantage to 8-5.
Southern Nazarene mounted a late push in the bottom half, scoring twice on a triple by Josh Bay and an RBI single from Kane Springer, but
Luis Pezzotti closed the door with a strikeout to earn the save.
Morris led Oklahoma Baptist offensively, going 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and two RBI.
Ben Green added two hits and scored once, while Smith and Cox each contributed key extra-base hits.
On the mound,
Landon Gutierrez earned the win in relief, while Pezzotti picked up his first save despite a tense final inning.
The victory improved Oklahoma Baptist to 15-13 on the season. Next on the schedule for the Bison is a trip to Southeastern Oklahoma State on March 27-28 for a three-game GAC series.
