By RYAN SHUMAKER
Sports Editor
A complete game for starting pitcher Robert Lawhon helped the Rangers avoid the sweep this weekend against Harding University.
The complete game came in the final game of the series, while the Rangers struggled mightily in the previous two games against the Bison.
Despite eight hits from the Rangers, they could only manage three runs in a 9-3 loss to open up the series.
Catcher Jacob Long had an outstanding day from the plate for the Rangers as he went 3-4.
Junior Cooper Stanley and graduate student Thomas Bess also had solid days in the middle of the line up for the Rangers, each going 2-4 on the day.
Junior Pat Delano went six innings and gave up eight earned runs on 14 hits for the afternoon.
Berryhill, Okla. native Zach Postoak came on and shut down the Bison in the final two innings.
The Rangers once again found themselves down early in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, and couldn’t put enough hits together to overcome the deficit, losing 7-2.
The Rangers had the game as close as 4-2 in the top of the seventh, but a triple in the bottom of the eighth extended the Bison lead to a comfortable enough margin for them to finish out the game.
The Rangers only had four hits as a team, two of them coming from freshman Steven Deckard.
First baseman Tito Montano hit a home run in the seventh inning, while Long provided the other RBI for the Rangers in the same inning.
Sophomore Matt Bickford got the start for the Rangers and gave up two runs before being relieved by right-hander Dakota Stanek, who gave up three more runs in relief duty.
Another Montano home run and a standout performance from Ranger’s ace Lawhon would be needed to avoid the sweep with a 4-1 Rangers victory.
A wild pitch in the first inning would get the scoring started for Harding, but a huge fifth inning would provide Lawhon with all the runs he needed to ensure a Rangers victory.
Shortstop Xyruse Martinez got the inning started with a single to left field, and then the Montano bomb would send him all the way home. A Long double would provide the other two runs needed for Lawhon to shut down the Bison for the rest of the game.
Lawhon’s complete game performance included eight strikeouts to go along with only four Bison hits.
Bess also provided two hits to continue his stellar year at the plate.
The Rangers next series will be against Arkansas Tech University at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday at Glass Family Field in Alva.