NAIA
[Baseball] LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Raab's Walk-Off Extends No. 3 USAO's Win-Streak
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday eveing, the No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (9-1, 0-0 SAC) closed their double-header with a 3-2 walk-off win against Hastings College (1-4, 0-0 GPAC). The thrilling victory over Hastings extended the Drovers' win-streak to seven games, and over that stretch USAO has outscored its opponents 78-14.Prior to the match-up with Broncos, the Drovers had scored at least 8 runs in six consecutive games, but Hastings used a solid pitching performance and reliable defense to cool off USAO.The Drovers were able to score once in the bottom of the second inning, and held the lead until the top of the sixth inning when Hastings was able to score a pair of runs, due to USAO defensive errors. The Drovers were able to record their first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a bunt-single from Ian Laureano (SR/Toa Baja, Puerto Rico), and USAO evened the score at 2-2 when Cristian Laboy (SR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) drove Brandon Shumway (JR/Chickasha, OK) home. Ricardo Velez (SR/Lajas, Puerto Rico) threw a scoreless top of the seventh for the Drovers, setting the table for a walk-off situation in the bottom half of the inning. Isaac Raab (JR/Port Huron, MI) came to the plate with runners on first and second base, and he drove in the winning run with a RBI-single over the shortstop's head. The USAO offense was only able to string together two hits in the win, but they made each of those hits matter. Raab closed the game with a 1-for-2 performance that also included a pair of walks and the walk-off run batted in. Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba), Colton Bensch (SO/Mustang, OK), and Brandon Shumway each scored a run in the win.Jean Muntaner (SR/Carolina, Puerto Rico) pitched the first 5.1 innings of the contest and did not allow an earned run. Muntaner struck out seven batters, while only allowing a couple of hits. Ricardo Velez relieved Muntaner with one out in the sixth inning, and he was stellar over the final 1.2 innings. Velez did not allow any runs and he struck out four batters to earn the win.The Drovers will look to extend their win-streak to eight games on Sunday, February 16 when they host the series-finale against Hastings College at 12:00 PM at Bill Smith Ballpark.