Bison Rally in Ninth to Down SGU
April 24, 2008
Oklahoma Baptist scored five times in the ninth, taking its first lead in a 10-6 victory over St. Gregory's Thursday at Bison Field.
Due to rain and damage caused by high winds, SGU was unable to host the game and was the home team on the scoreboard Thursday. OBU will host all three games of the series, with SGU the home team again Friday.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run home run by Cory Underhill in the first inning.
The Bison got within a run in the top of the third when Cody Lambeth scored on Kyle Cooper's grounder to short.
St. Gregory's got the run back with an RBI single by Caleb Phillips in the bottom of the third.
The Bison tied the game in the fifth on a two-run home run by Josh Collazo, but the Cavaliers reclaimed the two-run cushion with a two-run home run by Caleb Phillips.
OBU pulled to within one, 5-4, on a solo home run by Billy Thomas is the seventh and tied the game in the eighth when Christian Ruiz singled home Chris Chambers.
The Cavaliers scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth for a 6-5 edge. OBU answered with five unearned in the top of the ninth.
Thomas reached on an error to start the inning and moved to third on a base hit by Cooper before scoring the tying run on a line single by Collazo.
Mason Reilly then bunted two runners into scoring position and Chambers was granted an intentional walk to load the bases. It looked as though SGU might get out of the inning with the tie after Cooper was gunned out at home, trying to score on a would-be passed ball. Instead, Avilla singled to left to score pinch runner Eric Neff from second and Ruiz blasted a three-run home run into the right field bullpen.
Jordan McCavitt (8-1) allowed an unearned run in three innings of work to get a team-high eighth win.
Ruiz led the Bison with three hits, while Thomas, Collazo, and Lambeth had two each among OBU's 12 in the game.
With the win, OBU improves to 38-12 overall and 17-11 in the Sooner Athletic Conference as SGU dips to 16-29 and 10-18 in the SAC.
The teams meet in a 2 p.m. start at Bison Field Saturday.