NAIA

[Baseball] No. 3 USAO Finishes 4-Game Sweep Against St. Mary

CHICKASHA, Okla. – The No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (6-1) concluded their 4-game series sweep against University of St. Mary (0-4) with a pair of dominant victories on Sunday afternoon. The Drovers cruised to a 17-2 win in the third game of the series, and they slugged to a 16-8 win in the series finale. No. 3 USAO outscored USM 54-11 and knocked 51 base hits during the exciting home-opener weekend.GAME 3 –The Spires got off to a fantastic start in the third game of the series, getting a base hit and homerun in their first two at bats of the game. However, those were the only two batters to reach base for St. Mary in the entire game, until USM reached on a harmless walk in the seventh inning. The Drovers scored 17 unanswered runs to earn the win in front of the home crowd.Colton Williams (SR/Magnolia, TX) and Ricardo Velez (SR/Lajas, Puerto Rico) were dominant on the mound for the Drovers. Williams pitched the first six innings, allowing just two earned runs off of two hits and he struck out 11 batters to earn the win. The 2019 NAIA Pitcher of the Year is still perfect in his USAO career thanks to a 2-0 start to the 2020 season. As a Drover, Williams is 18-0 with a 1.43 earned run average and he has struck out 150 batters in 119.2 innings pitched. Velez took over for Williams in the seventh inning and he struck out a pair of batters in one scoreless inning of work.Isaac Raab (JR/Port Huron, MI) and Ian Laureano (SR/Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) led off the USAO offense in spectacular fashion on Sunday. Raab concluded 1-for-3 with two RBI's, two runs scored, a stolen base, and he drew a walk. Laureano finished with a HUGE performance, going 3-for-5 with two homeruns, three runs scored, and six runs batted in. The number three batter in the order was Cristian Laboy (SR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico), who went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a pair of runs scored, and one run batted in. Brock Henderson (SO/Chickasha, OK) added a 1-for-2 clip that included a double, run scored, and a stolen base. Sterling Valera (SR/Bronx, NY), Brandon Shumway (JR/Chickasha, OK), and Luke Lewis (FR/Anadarko, OK) each picked up base hits in their only at bats of the contest. Valera knocked a two-run double and scored a run, while Shumway had a RBI-double and scored twice.  As a team, the Drovers strung together 12 hits, five doubles, 10 free-passes, and they stole a half-dozen bases.GAME 4– The Drovers were able to take an early 2-0 lead in the series finale, but the Spires used USAO's errors to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the second inning. USAO answered with a three-run third inning to take a 5-3 lead. St. Mary started a WILD fourth inning with five runs, and the Drovers answered with eight runs in the bottom half of the inning. With the score 13-8, the Drovers added one insurance run in the fifth inning, followed by another pair in the sixth to put the game out of reach for good. Despite making seven errors on defense, the Drovers offense was still red-hot at the plate. USAO collected 16 hits, six doubles, a triple, six free-passes, and stole three bases in the rout.The first five Drovers in the USAO batting order combined for 12 hits in the win. Isaac Raab concluded 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored, and four runs batted in. Ian Laureano went a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, and three runs scored. Cristian Laboy, Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba), and Joey Pena (JR/Mustang, OK) each contributed three RBI's a piece. Laboy went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and three runs scored. Pelayo added a 1-for-3 performance that included two sac-flies, while Pena was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Brock Henderson went 1-for-4 with a RBI-triple, and Gus Wilson (JR/Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) went 1-for-2 with a stolen base, as well as a pair of runs scored. Colton Bensch (SO/Mustang, OK) collected a RBI-double and a run scored, while Brandon Shumway was 1-for-3 with a run batted in and two runs scored. Adam Moraga (JR/Tucson, AZ) pitched the first 3.1 innings for the Drovers, and due to defensive errors, USAO surrendered six runs while the junior was in the game. Moraga did not allow any earned runs and he struck out one batter in the no-decision. Edgar Cuevas (SR/Bronx, NY) earned his first win of the season as he went 2.2 innings of relief. Cuevas allowed a pair of earned runs and he struck out a pair of batters. Ricardo Velez struck out the side to close out the game in the seventh inning. The Drovers will be back in action at Bill Smith Ballpark on Tuesday, February 11 when they host a non-conference match-up against Kansas Wesleyan University at 3:00 PM.