NAIA
[Baseball] No. 3 USAO Shuts Out Hastings for Eighth Straight Win
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Sunday afternoon, the No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (10-1, 0-0 SAC) closed their weekend with a 5-0 shutout victory against Hastings College (1-5, 0-0 GPAC). The shutout extended the Drovers' win-streak to eight games, and over that stretch USAO has outscored its opponents 83-14. During the four-game weekend series against Friends University and Hastings College, USAO outscored its opponents 29-3.The Drovers got off to a strong start, scoring once in the first inning and twice in the second inning. The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning when USAO added one more insurance run. The Drovers scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, and let the pitching and defense take care of things the rest of the way.Adam Moraga (JR/Tucson, AZ) was fantastic on the mound for the Drovers. Moraga pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk, while striking out five batters. Moraga improves to 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average and he has struck out eight batters in 10.1 innings pitched.Edgar Cuevas (SR/Bronx, NY) relieved Moraga in the eighth inning, and he was lights-out in the final 2.0 innings. Cuevas allowed only one hit and he struck out four batters in his fifth appearance of the season. The senior from the Bronx improved his ERA to 2.00 and he has struck out 13 batters in 9.0 innings pitched.The top of the batting order was once again red-hot for USAO. Isaac Raab (JR/Port Huron, MI) concluded 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a pair of runs scored, and one stolen base. Ian Laureano (SR/Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) contributed a 3-for-4 performance that included his fourth stolen base of the season. Cristian Laboy (SR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) blasted his first homerun of the season as he went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a stolen base. Gus Wilson (JR/Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) and Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba) each contributed one hit and one RBI a piece. Andres Romero (SR/Valencia, Venezuela) finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run batted in. Colton Bensch (SO/Mustang, OK) continued his impressive start with a 1-for-3 clip, and he also reached on a walk.Through the first 11 games of the season, USAO ranks in the Top 10 in five statistical categories. The Drovers own the NAIA's second-best team batting average (.370), third-best opponent batting average (.155), third-best team earned run average (1.90), seventh most strikeouts (114), and tenth most runs scored (102). The Drovers will look to extend their win-streak on Saturday, February 22 when they open a four-game series versus Doane University. USAO and Doane will play a double-header on Saturday and Sunday at Bill Smith Ballpark. Saturday's games are scheduled to take place at 4:00 and 7:00 PM, followed by start times of 12:00 and 3:00 PM on Sunday.