Baseball Swept by UCO

April 21, 2007

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Southwestern Oklahoma State University made a brave effort but could not get past Central Oklahoma dropping a pair of important baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon in Weatherford. UCO needed extra innings in the first game and escaped with a 9-8 win before taking the nightcap in a more comfortable fashion, 12-7.
 
SWOSU’s overall record dipped to 18-29 and the Bulldogs are 12-7 in division play. The Bulldogs, who were hoping for their first-ever LSC North title, now trail UCO by two and one-half games with five to play. UCO improved to 35-14-1 and 15-5 in league play. The Bronchos have the inside track on what could be their seventh LSC North title in a span of nine years.
 
In the first game, SWOSU again came up with some late-inning magic and nearly pulled off perhaps its biggest comeback of the year. SWOSU trailed 8-4 before scraping together four runs to tie the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh. Jonathan Fontanet and Sean Rogers each drove in a pair of runs to start the seventh-inning rally.
 
The big shot of the inning was a two-run, two-out homer by Ryan Pease that send the large crowd roaring its approval. The home run was Pease’s first of the year.
 
UCO scored a run in the eighth to go ahead 9-8 and withstood another Bulldog charge. SWOSU had runners on first and third with one out when Rogers grounded into a game-ending double play.
 
In the second game, SWOSU again showed its character fighting back from a 5-1 hole to eventually tie the game at 6-6. The Bulldogs scored three in the fourth and another run in the fifth to knot the score. Fontanet and Rogers each had RBI singles in the fourth and Lance Scales tied the game with a base hit in the fifth.
 
UCO was far from finished scoring four runs in the sixth and eventually chased SWOSU starter Dakota Streber who fought through some tough, gusty, windy conditions on the mound.
 
SWOSU will next play Wednesday against third-place Cameron University in a doubleheader in Lawton. The Bulldogs hold a two and one-half game advantage over the Aggies for second and what most likely will be the final LSC Tournament berth for a North division team.