FROM PRESS RELEASE
ARKADELPHIA – The 12th-ranked Ouachita Baptist baseball team halted a four-game conference skid Saturday afternoon with a 7-1 Gulf South Conference West Division win over Harding at Rab Rodgers Field.
Harding (15-14 overall, 2-4 GSC West) jumped out to a 1-0 off Tigers starter Chase Baran, but that was all they would get off the southpaw. Baran, who improved to 5-1, pitched seven innings, surrendered just one run on four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. Sean O’Rourke worked two innings of relief with a strikeout.
Although the Bisons scored the first run, Ouachita Baptist (25-7, 2-4) exploded for four runs in the bottom half of the inning to give Baran plenty of run support.
Blake Lockwood, who was 2-for-3, led off the frame with a base hit up the middle and then stole second. Justin Pennell, who was moved to the two-spot in the lineup and went 3-for-3, doubled double the right field line, plating Lockwood to tie the game at 1.
Jim Streicher, who was 1-for-2, walked and stole second and advanced to third on catcher Ryan Moody’s throwing error. That error allowed Pennell to score from third as he stole second on the double steal. With one out, Destan Makonnen doubled to left-center, plating Streicher to give Ouachita Baptist a 3-1 lead. Makonnen advanced to third on a Chad Taylor groundout and scored on a Chandler Boyce base hit through the left side.
The Tigers scored a run in the seventh and added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to get the 7-1 win.
Gilbert Tellez (2-3) took the loss, pitching just 1/3 of an inning. He gave up four runs on three hits with a walk. Troy Keith worked six innings of relief and surrendered a run on three hits, while Shane Bishop gave up a pair of runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Brian McCrackin also saw action on the mound in relief for the Bisons.
Ouachita Baptist travels 12:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 26 to Huntsville, Ala., to take on UAH in a doubleheader. The games will be available on the Ouachita Baptist athletic Web site at: www.obutigers.com.
We would also like to thank Dr. Kluck for allowing us the use of his game Pictures for the stories.
