FROMM PRESS RELEASE
ARKADELPHIA – The second-ranked Ouachita Baptist baseball team took a pair of games Saturday afternoon at Rab Rodgers Field, defeating No. 22 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 9-3 and 9-1.
In the opener, Steve Smith started on the hill for the Tigers (15-2), working 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with a strikeout. Jerry Helferich (2-0) picked up the win in relief. He gave up just a pair of hits and had a strikeout.
The game was tied at three heading into the bottom of the seventh, but Ouachita Baptist struck for five runs on three hits and took advantage of a Cougars error to grab an 8-3 lead.
Justin Pennell and Rudy Jovanovski drew back-to-back walks to begin the frame and a sacrifice fly by Destan Makonnen advanced Pennell to third. Drew Maus ripped an RBI single up the middle, giving Ouachita Baptist a 4-3 lead. Chad Taylor followed with a base hit to right. The right fielder miss played the ball, allowing Jovanovski and Maus to score. Taylor went all the way around for another run. With two outs and after a pitching change, Blake Lockwood walked and scored on Chandler Boyce’s triple down the right-field line, giving the Tigers a commanding 8-3 advantage.
In the second contest, Jarod Hershberger remained perfect on the season by pitching a complete-game, five-hitter. Hershberger surrendered a run on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
The Tigers struck for a pair of runs in the first inning and added single runs in the second and third. Ouachita Baptist cruised to the victory by plating three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Boyce paced the offense by going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Pennell and Makonnen each had a pair of RBIs.
Patrick Keller took the loss for the Cougars (0-2). He worked just 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs, despite giving up a hit. He walked four and struck out a pair.
The Tigers play host 1:00 p.m., Sunday, March 2 against Missouri-St. Louis at Rab Rogers Field. The game can be heard on the internet at: www.obutigers.com.
