Baseball Opens as Winners

February 2, 2009

GOODWELL, Okla. - Southwestern Oklahoma State University came up with three runs in its last at bat to complete a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State Monday in the second game of a baseball doubleheader. The Bulldogs were 19-3 winners in the opener and ended up winning three of the four games between their instate rival.

Alexander Pagan and Nelson Espinal each had RBI singles for the Bulldogs in the game-winning inning. The Bulldogs, who entered the sixth, trailing 4-3 reached base three times thanks in part to wildness on the OPSU pitchers who hit three SWOSU batters in the inning.

Max Grocki went the distance to collect the win in his first start. The Amarillo, Texas senior scattered 10 hits through six innings while striking out five. He pitched well except for a rocky fifth inning when the Aggies scored four times which included a two-run homer by their nine-hole hitter.

In the opener Monday, SWOSU had little trouble racing out to a 12-2 lead after four innings on its way to an easy win. Newcomer Richard Kirby was the hitting star collecting a single, double and a grand slam home run to finish the game with six RBIs. Morgan Marr and Jon-Andrew Martin had three hits apiece for the Bulldogs who battered four different Aggie pitchers with 19 total hits.

Drake Accord picked up the win allowing just two runs through four innings of work. Rafe Alvarez pitched well in relief allowing just one run on four hits in the remaining three innings.

The two teams split Sunday's doubleheader with the Aggies winning the first game 8-7 before the Bulldogs avenged themselves handily with a 16-0 blanking in the nightcap.

The Bulldogs will next be in action Saturday when they host Mid America Christian in a doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m.