SWOSU Rallies To Split Series

March 24, 2007

Chris Morrison

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Southwestern Oklahoma State University got a pair of much-needed wins to help salvage a split with visiting West Texas A&M University in a baseball doubleheader Saturday in Weatherford.

The Bulldogs won the first game 7-3 before winning the nightcap in dramatic fashion with a 13-12 victory in extra innings. The two wins allowed the Bulldogs to square the four-game series with the Buffs. WTAMU won 8-3 and 13-0 on Friday in the first two games of the series.

The Saturday victories ended two long pesky losing streaks for SWOSU. It was SWOSU’s first win in 14 games and also was the Bulldogs first win at home in 13 previous tries.

SWOSU, now 6-22 overall, will begin Lone Star Conference North Division play Wednesday at home with a doubleheader against Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Blain Perkins

The Bulldogs won the nightcap in the ninth inning when Kenny Hare raced home on Lance Scales’ sacrifice fly to left field. The ball was not hit deep and Hare slid just under the attempted tag by the WTAMU catcher.

The Bulldogs had a bit of good fortune to extend the game into the ninth inning after allowing the Buffs a run in top of the ninth. Trailing 12-11, SWOSU’s Sean Rogers led off with a double. The next two batters were unable to get hits and Rogers was left at third with two outs. Tristan Cummings then hit a slow roller to the WTAMU shortstop who threw offline pulling the first baseman off the bag. Cummings slid safely under the tag attempt which allowed Rogers to trot home with the tying run.

SWOSU appeared to have the game well in hand early leading 8-1 after four innings of play. Moose Wathen was a offensive hero ending the game with four hits --  two singles, a double, a triple --  and four RBI’s. Wathen and Scales drove in eight of SWOSU’s 13 runs.

The Bulldogs used a steady pitching effort by Chris Morrison to come away with a 7-3 win in the first game Saturday. Morrison went seven innings and allowed nine hits and three runs. He struck out three and walked four batters while improving his overall record to 2-3 on the year.

Blain Perkins, Cummings and Wathen each had two hits as the Bulldogs were a measure of efficiency scoring seven times with nine base hits. SWOSU led 5-1 after two innings and put the Buffs away for good when Mark Cole broke out of a season-long slump with a two-RBI double in the sixth that gave SWOSU a 7-3 lead.