NAIA
[Baseball] Late Rally Lifts No. 3 USAO Past No. 12 LSUS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tuesday afternoon, the No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (14-1, 3-0 SAC) hit the road for a Top 15 showdown against No. 12 ranked Louisiana State University-Shreveport (15-4, 2-1 RRAC). The Drovers used a late comeback to earn a thrilling 6-4 victory. The win extended USAO's win-streak to 12 games and during the win-streak, they have outscored opponents 112-29. The Drovers were able to strike first with a run in the top of the second inning, but the Pilots bounced back with a solo-homerun in the bottom half of the inning. LSUS added a pair of runs with a 2-run homer in the third inning. The score remained 3-1 until the Drovers scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to tie the score at 3-3. LSUS reclaimed the lead with one run in the bottom of the seventh inning.Trailing 3-4 in the eighth inning, Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba) blasted a solo-homer to tie the game once again. The score remained tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth inning when Sterling Valera (SR/Bronx, NY) crushed a two-run, pinch-hit BOMB to give the Drovers a 6-4 lead. Edgar Cuevas (SR/Bronx, NY) slammed the door shut on the Pilots in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.As a team, USAO strung together nine hits, while holding LSUS to eight hits as a team. Adam Moraga (JR/Tucson, AZ) pitched the first 7.0 innings for the Drovers, allowing six hits and four earned runs, while striking out nine batters. Edgar Cuevas pitched the final two scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season. Cuevas struck out two batters as he lowered his earned run average to 1.64.Luis Pelayo was USAO's star on offense as well as defense, making several impressive plays in leftfield. At the dish, Pelayo concluded 2-for-4 with a homerun, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. Ian Laureano (SR/Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) contributed a 2-for-5 performance with a run scored, while Sterling Valera went 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit 2-run dinger.Cristian Laboy (SR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) finished the win 1-for-2 with a run scored, a stolen base, and two walks. Joey Pena (JR/Mustang, OK) and Brock Henderson (SO/Chickasha, OK) each went 1-for-4 with a run batted in. Brandon Shumway (JR/Chickasha, OK) added one single and one run scored. The Drovers will look to stay hot and extend their win-streak on Friday, March 6 when they travel west for a three-game series at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Friday's double-header is scheduled for a 12:00 PM start time.