By MEGAN MAHARRY
Sports Reporter
The Ranger baseball team faced Southern Nazarene University in a three-game home series on Sunday and Monday. The Rangers won the series, 2-1.
In game one, the Rangers came away with the 5-4 victory.
Pitcher Walker Wharton threw six strong innings for the Rangers, giving up only one run and had six strikeouts.
The Rangers had no problem offensively during the game. Centerfielder Johnuelle Ponce started off the first inning with his seventh home run of the season. He went 2-for-3 and also picked up two RBI’s.
Judah Zickafoose gave the Rangers two more runs in the fourth off a triple to right field. He went 2-for-4 and had two RBI’s. He also had a base hit in the seventh that provided the go-ahead run for the Rangers and ultimately won the game.
On Monday, the Rangers played a double-header.
In game two, the Rangers fell 7-4.
SNU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second and third inning.
The Rangers bounced back in the fourth on back-to-back doubles from Jorin Van Amstel and Justin Bundy. A bunt for Brendan Kates scored Bundy to even the score, 2-2. Amstel went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI’s and Bundy had 2 RBI’s.
The game stayed close until the eighth inning when SNU plated three runs and took the 7-4 victory.
In the final game of the series, the Rangers bounced back to dominate SNU 8-0.
Pitcher Matt Goertzen dominated on the mound, throwing 4 strikeouts and earning his first complete game shutout as a Ranger. He retired the first 10 batters he faced.
Offensively, the Rangers had hot bats as they started off scoring in the second inning and scored runs in every inning until the win in the seventh.
Amstel hit his fourth double of the series and Kates had a base hit of his own.
The Rangers are back in action this weekend to face Ouachita Baptist University in a three-game series at home.