Baseball Wins TAMUK Finale

February 24, 2008

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Southwestern Oklahoma State University got behind the strong pitching effort of Chris Morrison and came away with a 5-3 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville in the final game of a four-game weekend series. Morrison (2-1) worked six and two-thirds innings and allowed just three runs, one of which was earned as the Bulldogs stopped a six-game slide.

SWOSU now 3-9 on the year and 1-6 in the Lone Star Conference will next play at home Friday, Feb. 29 against West Texas A&M University in a doubleheader at 12 noon. The Bulldogs and Buffs will do the same thing again Saturday with a nine and seven-inning doubleheader to start at 12 noon.

A&M-Kingsville won three-of-four in the series and took the first game 6-0 on Thursday then swept the Friday doubleheader 5-1 and 5-3. The Javelinas are 9-4 and 6-2 on the year.

Morrison got considerable offensive support by teammate Dakota Streber who finished the game with four hits and an RBI. The Bulldogs rapped out 13 hits as a team with Caleb Cole and Jang Won Lee each collecting two themselves in the win.

In the 6-0, first-game loss, SWOSU managed just three singles against TAMK pitcher Mario Gonzales who was dominating on the mound. Gonzales struck out 10 SWOSU batters in eight innings of work before yielding to a reliever in the ninth.

In Saturday’s 5-1 loss, Streber showed why he ranks among the conference leaders in hitting, collecting three hit in four at bats. His seventh-inning homer, his second of the year, was SWOSU’s only run. Streber is hitting an even .500 through the first 12 games with 21 hits in 42 at bats.

In the nightcap Saturday, Cole put the Bulldogs in front 2-0 with an RBI triple in the third. The lead did’t last as the Javelinas scored two in the fourth and two in the fifth to push back in front for good. Cole was SWOSU’s leading hitter with two hits and two RBI’s in the game.