RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The No. 20-ranked Arkansas Tech baseball team put the finishing touches on a series sweep over Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday with a thrilling 7-6 walk-off win in the opener and a comfortable 13-3 win in the nightcap. The series sweep is the third of the year.
GAME ONE
Playing in biting cold weather despite sunny skies, the Wonder Boys (19-7, 12-3 GAC) fell behind early in the first game of the day as the Rangers (13-14, 6-9 GAC) plated two runs in the top of the first inning. Both runs in that inning for NWOSU were unearned.
In the third, the Rangers added a run to their lead.
After not scoring for a third-consecutive inning, the Wonder Boys finally broke through on the scoreboard in their half of the fourth inning. They would score three runs on three hits in the inning to knot the score at three-all. In that inning,
Brandon Bunton got things going with a one-out single up the middle. Two batters later, the bases were loaded following a walk to
Markos Cabranes and a hit-by-pitch to
Brady Prince.
The first run of the inning came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Cade McBride. After an infield single to shortstop by
Shane Poe re-loaded the bases,
Sawyer Duddleston punched a base hit the other way through the right side to score Cabranes and Prince.
The Rangers responded in the fifth and scored twice to take a 5-3 lead. The Wonder Boys got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame as
Logan Schwenke scored on a wild pitch. In their next trip to the plate, the Rangers bumped their lead out to two runs once again with a single tally in the sixth.
Continuing to fight back, the Wonder Boys pushed across a run in the sixth to once more make it a one-run game. In that inning, Duddleston led off with a four-pitch walk, but was then erased on the base paths on a fielder's choice in the
Nick Jones at-bat. Following that,
Keaton Ranallo doubled to right-centerfield to drive in Jones. Two batters later, Ranallo was cut down at the plate with a drawn-in infield as Bunton reached on a fielder's choice. The Rangers would escape the inning with their lead intact.
Both teams were rather quiet in the seventh and eighth innings sending the game to the ninth with the Rangers holding a one-run lead.
In the top of the ninth, the Rangers got a leadoff baserunner thanks to a single, but consecutive fielder's choices and a lineout to shortstop kept NWOSU off the board and kept it a one-run game heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Needing to get a baserunner on, the Wonder Boys got just that as Bunton was hit-by-a-pitch with one out. Two batters later, the Wonder Boys called upon
Yadier Medina to pinch-hit with the game on the line.
Medina quickly fell behind in the count 0-2, but battled back to run the count full. With a full count, Medina made just enough contact to lift a ball into the trouble triangle range just back and to the right of first base. With the wind wreaking havoc and pushing balls to the right, Medina's ball was trouble off the bat. As fortune would have it, the ball fell in shallow right field despite a diving attempt by the Rangers' right fielder, allowing Bunton to score as he was off and running on contact with two outs.
Suddenly the game was tied and the Wonder Boys then went to their bench again and called upon
Ommar Jackson to pinch-run for Medina at second representing the potential game-winning run.
That potential did not need to wait long before it became a reality as, on the first pitch, McBride singled up the middle to drive home Jackson for the game-winning run.
Jack Rector earned the win in the opener as he pitched 4.2 innings of relief. Rector would scatter four hits, walk one, strikeout three and allow just one run.
GAME TWO
The good times from the walk-off win carried over in a major way for the Wonder Boys in the second game of the doubleheader as they erupted for 11 runs on nine hits in the bottom of the first inning.
The lengthy inning saw the Wonder Boys send 16 batters to the plate as they batted around plus seven.
In that inning alone, the Wonder Boys hit four doubles that produced runs. The first was a RBI double by
Shane Poe.
Keaton Ranallo later doubled home two followed by a RBI double by
Logan Schwenke. The final RBI double in the inning was a two-run knock by
Sawyer Duddleston.
All of the offensive firepower by the Wonder Boys was in support of starter
Emiliano Mata.
Mata would go on to earn the win as he pitched 4.0 innings of the scheduled seven-inning game. In his start, Mata allowed five hits, three runs, three walks and struck out four. He was later relieved by a trio of arms, all of which handled a single inning without allowing a run.
Tyler Sardelli was the first in relief and he allowed one hit and struck out one in the fifth.
JT Cafferty had the sixth and he worked around a pair of hits thanks to two strikeouts.
Jackson Sorey handled the seventh and was perfect in the frame and had one strikeout.
After the 11-run first inning, the Wonder Boys would score single runs in the third and sixth innings to account for Tech's 13 runs in the game. The run in the third was a RBI single through the left side by Schwenke and the run in the sixth was from a RBI double by
Aaron Hogue.
UP NEXT
The Wonder Boys now gear up for a nine-game stretch on the road. The first road game on tap will be at Delta State this coming Tuesday evening. Tech will play a second game against the Statesman the following day before a road series at Southwestern Oklahoma next weekend.
