By RANGER ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Game 1
Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball was back at Myers Stadium for the first of a three-game series against Great American Conference opponent Arkansas Tech University. The Rangers rode another complete game performance from starting pitcher Walker Wharton to a 6-2 win over the Wonder Boys.
After surrendering a run in the first, Wharton and catcher Harrison Hull seemed to have solved the Wonder Boys lineup as they worked seven straight scoreless frames before a solo home run came in the ninth.
ATU opened the scoring in the top of the first with textbook small ball, bunting over the runner before scoring Britt Stroth with a Riley Hickerson sac-fly.
Northwestern would tie it up in the bottom of the second when Hull drove in center fielder Johnnuelle Ponce with a single through the left side to make it a 1-1 game.
Third baseman Luis Mendoza cranked his first home run of the season when he took a 1-0 offering from ATU starter Hayes Cox deep over the wall in right, giving the Rangers the lead in the fourth. Senior Jorin Van Amstel had a solid afternoon at the dish, going 3-for-5 to improve his batting average to a team-high .458 on the year.
The Ranger bats came through with some insurance for Wharton in the eight when they capitalized on three hits and an error to score four runs, extending their lead to 6-1 heading to the ninth. Luis Cintron cashed in two runs with a base hit through the left side.
Cody Wescott gave Tech some late life with a leadoff home run in the ninth, but Wharton regrouped to record the final three outs as he secured his fourth win of 2018.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball dropped the final two games of their series with Arkansas Tech on Sunday, falling 10-4 in the first game and 12-11 in the second.
The Rangers nearly pulled off the impossible in game two as they hung eight runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game despite facing a 12-3 deficit heading into the final frame.
Game 2
The Rangers sent right-hander Cole Jackson to the hill looking for his first win of 2018 after recording a no-decision in his only other start against Fort Hays State. The redshirt junior impressed in his 4.2 innings of work, not allowing an earned run to the Wonder Boys while giving up four hits and one walk.
After a triple off the bat of Dylan McDearmon, Arkansas Tech capitalized when a passed ball got by catcher Cole Anderson for the game›s first run. But Northwestern would answer right back in bottom of the fourth as Judah Zickafoose carried one high over the center field wall for a two-run home run to give the black-and-red the lead.
Northwestern picked up two more runs in the fifth with a Cintron RBI double followed by an RBI single through the left side from lefty slugger Justin Bundy to give the home team a 4-1 advantage.
Matt Goertzen took over on the mound for Jackson, getting out of trouble in the fifth and tossing a clean sixth for the Rangers. But ATU tagged Goertzen for four runs in the inning on five hits (with an error), giving the Wonder Boys a 5-4 lead.
But the Wonder Boys weren’t done there. A five-run eigth off senior Matthew Bickford capped off a 10-4 victory for Arkansas Tech.
Game 3
Head coach Ryan Bowen gave the ball to freshman Ryan Marcoccia for the third and final game as the Rangers were looking to rebound and take the series win. Marcoccia enjoyed some early run support as Justin Bundy drove in Daschal Johnson in the first and then Judah Zickafoose was plated in the second to give the left-hander a 2-0 lead.
But Marcoccia’s defense let him down in the fourth as two fielding errors allowed Arkansas Tech to score two and tie the game.
The Rangers would briefly regain the lead in the bottom half of the fourth when an errant throw down to third by Tech catcher Jake Harvey allowed Zickafoose to cruise home with a 3-2 advantage.
The Wonder Boys used a one-out rally in the fifth to put up six runs off Marcoccia and reliever Tyler Bernhardt, capitalizing on four hits and two more errors by Northwestern’s infield. ATU would add four more in the sixth off sophomore Sean Rydell, sending the Rangers to bat in the seventh facing a 12-3 deficit in their final at bat.
That’s when things got interesting.
Brady Bradshaw came off the bench to pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh, opening the frame with his first hit of the season. After a wild pitch moved him to third, Nathan Kane beat out an infield single to put runners on the corners.
With Logan Jones drawing a walk to load the bases, Van Amstel drove the first pitch through the Arkansas Tech infield to score Bradshaw.
Things really started to get hairy for the Wonder Boys when pitcher Isaac Hale issued three straight bases-loaded walks, allowing the Rangers to make it 12-7 with just one out in the inning.
Northwestern would continue their improbable rally, clawing their way all the way back to a 12-11 game before a fly-out to right closed the door on any comeback.