NAIA
[Baseball] #14 Drovers Comeback Falls Short Against Southwestern Christian
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Thursday evening, the No. 14 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (9-5, 0-1 SAC) opened conference play with a tough 5-2 loss against Southwestern Christian University (11-4, 1-0 SAC).Pitching ruled the first three innings of the game, but the Eagles were able to take a 1-0 with a solo homerun in the top of the fourth inning. Southwestern Christian added one more run in the sixth and seventh innings to extend their lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the eighth, Gage Gaunt (SO/Clinton, OK) blasted his fifth homerun of the season to cut the deficit to two. However, the Eagles responded with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, pushing their lead to 5-1. The Drovers attempted a rally in the bottom of the ninth, but came up short, scoring just one more run on Peyton McDowall (JR/Cibolo, TX)'s solo-homer. Josh Harrel (JR/Cashion, OK) pitched the first 6.0 innings of the contest, allowing just two earned runs and he struck out eight batters. Brett Lorah (SR/Elgin, OK) relieved Harrel in the seventh inning, followed by Hagan Earls who pitched a spotless eighth inning. Sean Craig (SR/Daly City, CA) took the mound for the Drovers in the ninth inning. As a team, the Drovers strung together a half dozen hits, while the Eagles tallied seven.Gage Gaunt and Peyton McDowall led the way for the Drovers at the dish, each delivering a pair of hits. Gaunt and McDowall each finished 2-4 with solo dingers. Colton Bensch (SR/Mustang, OK) and Luke Lewis (SO/Ft. Cobb, OK) each finished the game 1-3 with a single and a walk to their credit. WHAT'S NEXT?The Drovers and Eagles will close their 3-game series with a double-header on Saturday, March 5 in Bethany, Okla. First pitch of game one of the double-header is scheduled for 1:00 PM, followed by a 3:30 PM start time in the series finale. Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.comLive-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao/YouTube: Drover AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @DroverAthleticsInstagram: @drover_athleticsGIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers