RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Wonder Boys totaled 22 hits on the day as Mark Vaughn went 4-for-5 and Bryan Heward went 3-for-5 with a home run in Game 1 as Arkansas Tech (27-17, 13-10 GAC) swept past Northwestern Oklahoma State (17-27, 8-19 GAC) Monday, winning the opener 16-2 before taking an extra-inning 3-2 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, both teams were quiet until the bottom of the third, when the Wonder Boys scored two runs on a fielder's choice to take an early 2-0 lead. The Rangers cut the Tech lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth.

A two-run double by Vaughn and a three-run homer by Kris Ayers in the fourth inning gave the Wonder Boys a 7-1 advantage, and in the bottom of the fifth, Vaughn laced another two-run double and Patrick Castleberry added a two-run single to give the Wonder Boys an 11-1 advantage.

The Rangers added a run in the sixth to pull to within 11-2, but an RBI single by John Lassiter followed by a sacrifice fly and a three-run homer by Heward put Tech ahead 16-2.
Cody Jones shut the door on the Rangers in the seventh to seal the run-rule victory.

Jones improved to 7-2 on the season after going the distance, allowing only two runs off of ten hits, walking just three and striking out five.

In the nightcap, the Rangers got on the board in the second inning, but the Wonder Boys were able to quickly tie it as Seth Wheeler scampered home on a wild pitch to knot the game at 1-1. Collin O'Neil's RBI single in the fourth gave Tech a 2-1 advantage, one that would hold until the seventh inning when the Rangers were able to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

After the first two games in the series were shortened by the run rule, the scheduled seven-inning game went into the tenth, where the Wonder Boys loaded the bases with one out, setting the stage for a walk-off single by Marcus Wilson and a 3-2 Wonder Boys victory.

Rafiel Johnson was solid on the mound for the Wonder Boys, picking up the no decision after scattering five hits over six innings and allowing two runs, walking none, and fanning three. Ryan Vruggink pitched three scoreless innings before Randy Vallejo picked up his second win of the season after tossing a perfect 10^th inning.

The Wonder Boys return to action on Tuesday, April 21, hosting a non-conference match up against Ouachita Baptist. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.