NAIA

[Baseball] No. 3 USAO SWEEPS MACU, Extending Win-Streak to 11

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Friday evening, the No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (13-1, 3-0 SAC) extended its win-streak to 11 games with a pair of wins to finish off the three-game sweep against Mid-America Christian University (14-8, 0-3 SAC). USAO won the first game of the double-header 10-0, followed by an exciting 4-3 victory in the series finale. During the Drovers' win-streak, they have outscored opponents 106-25. GAME 1 – The Drovers got off to a great start, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, and USAO extended their lead to 3-0 only one inning later. In the bottom of the third, USAO strung together SIX insurance runs to distance themselves from MACU. USAO scored their 10th run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning before using pitching and defense to slam the door closed on the Evangels. Matt Merrill (SO/Tulsa, OK) was fantastic on the mound, throwing a complete-game shutout to improve his record to 4-0 this season. Merrill only allowed two hits and he struck out 11 batters in the rout. On the season, Merrill has a stellar 0.75 earned run average and he has struck out 42 batters in 24 innings pitched. In his USAO career, Merrill is 15-3 with a 2.12 ERA, and he has struck out 171 batters in 110.1 innings pitched. As a team, USAO strung together 10 hits in the rout, and it was the seventh time this season that the Drovers have scored at least 10 runs in a game. Brock Henderson (SO/Chickasha, OK), Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba), and Joey Pena (JR/Mustang, OK) each paced the Drovers with two hits apiece. Henderson concluded 2-for-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in, while Pelayo went 2-for-3 with a double. Pena contributed a 2-for-3 clip that included a double and a run batted in. Sterling Valera (SR/Bronx, NY) mashed his first homerun of the season as he finished the game 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI's. Ian Laureano (SR/Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) continued to produce near the top of the lineup, going 1-for-3 with a double, a pair of stolen bases, and a pair of runs scored. Colton Bensch (SO/Mustang, OK) finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Isaac Raab (JR/Port Huron, MI) turned in a 1-for-4 performance that included a double and a RBI. Despite not recording a hit, Cristian Laboy (SR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) had a huge impact on offense, scoring twice and he drove in three runs. Gus Wilson (JR/Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada) also had an impact on offense despite not recording a hit, finishing with a run batted in, a stolen base, and a pair of runs scored. GAME 2 – The Drovers were once again able to strike first, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. USAO extended the lead with a run in the bottom of the third inning, and the score remained 3-0 until the sixth inning.In the sixth inning, things started to get interesting… MACU scored their first run of the day on a dropped third-strike, allowing the baserunner on third base to cross home plate. The Drovers quickly responded with a run of their own in the home half of the inning. With USAO leading 4-1 entering the seventh inning, the Evangels scored a pair of runs to pull within one. However, Ricardo Velez (SR/Lajas, Puerto Rico) finished strong and retired the final batter with the tying run stranded at second base, concluding the SWEEP!Colton Williams (SR/Magnolia, TX) was great on the mound for USAO, going 5.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits, and he struck out nine batters as he improved his record to 4-0 this season. The 2019 NAIA Pitcher of the Year is now a perfect 20-0 as a Drover, with a 1.30 earned run average, and he has struck out 170 batters in 131.1 innings pitched. Ricardo Velez picked up his second save of the season as he pitched the final 1.1 innings, and he struck out three batters. Luis Pelayo and Cristian Laboy led the USAO offense with two hits apiece in the win. Pelayo concluded 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a stolen base, while Laboy went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, run scored, and two runs batted in. Brock Henderson closed his impressive day with a 1-for-1 clip that included a single, walk, and two RBI's. Gus Wilson finished 0-for-2 but he contributed a walk, run scored, and a stolen base.The Drovers will look to stay hot and extend their win-streak on Tuesday, March 3 when they travel to Arlington, Texas for a Top 15 showdown against No. 12 ranked LSU-Shreveport. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM at Sam Houston High School.