By RYAN SHUMAKER
Sports Editor
While most students headed home or out to the beach for spring break, the Rangers baseball team stayed busy.
The Rangers struggled despite some solid individual performances throughout the five games contested over the break. The Rangers went 1-4 throughout the week to move their season record to 9-20 (6-9 GAC).
The Rangers welcomed the Beavers of Bemidji State University from Bemidji, Minnesota, to Alva on Tuesday for a two game series. In the first game the Rangers lost 5-3 in extra innings despite a two-run homer from centerfielder Thomas Bess in the bottom of the sixth.
Reliever Stetson Buller moved from his usual set-up role in the bullpen to start the ballgame and struggled, allowing three runs in less than two innings of work. The Rangers would then go deep into their bullpen as six other pitchers would step onto the mound for the Rangers.
After nine innings the game entered extra innings tied at 3-3 and would remain tied up until a two-run single in the twelfth inning gave the Beavers a two-run advantage. Senior Brody Ausfahl was charged with the loss.
In the second and final game against the Beavers the Rangers picked up their only win of the break, 14-9, behind 14 total hits for the team. Catcher Jacob Long led the way with four RBI’s and lead-off batter Garrett Douglas continued his strong play going 3-4 on the day.
The Rangers jumped on the Beavers pitching early, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the first and never looked back. Senior Jason Barlett got the start for the Rangers, however Dakota Stanek earned the win, his second of the season.
The Rangers returned to conference play over the weekend against Oklahoma Baptist University and couldn’t avoid the sweep against the Bison. Sophomore Matt Bickford pitched seven innings of quality baseball, however a ninth inning rally wasn’t good enough as the Rangers lost 5-3.
Despite 11 hits, the Black-and-Red were unable to capitalize on the multiple scoring opportunities they had throughout the game. In the ninth inning it finally seemed like the Rangers would convert after putting runners on, but back to back fly-outs stranded runners on second and third to end the game.
In the first game of the double header on Saturday the hot bats for the Rangers turned ice cold in a 8-0 loss. The Black-and-Red could only manage two hits throughout the game and starting pitcher Robert Lawhon turned in his first bad outing in conference play, allowing six runs in five innings of work.
A back and forth battle in the third game provided the most excitement for the Rangers over the break. The final score ended up 10-9, as the Rangers turned eight hits into nine runs and battled all the way to the end.
Senior Matt Benn got back on track after struggling the first part of the season and provided the Rangers a 2-0 lead after one inning with a RBI single. The Bison came back and made it a 7-2 ball game heading into the sixth before shortstop Xyruse Martinez hit a two RBI triple to right field, immediately followed by a Benn home run to make it a one run ballgame through six innings.
The Bison added two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, but another triple from the Rangers, this time from Bess would make it a run one ball game once again. A wild pitch would score Bess, tying the game up at nine runs apiece. The Rangers bullpen would walk in the winning run, ending an otherwise exciting performance for the Rangers.
The Rangers will host Southern Nazarene this weekend at 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday at Myers Stadium.