Baseball Scores Late Win

February 7, 2009

WEATHERFORD, Okla. -Southwestern Oklahoma State University extended its four-game winning streak with a dramatic 11-10 victory over visiting Mid American Christian University Saturday in a baseball game in Weatherford. The second game of the scheduled doubleheader did not complete because of darkness.

Travis Rose's ninth-inning double was the spark that helped the Bulldogs push across the winning run in a 3 hour and 45 minute marathon game against the visiting Evangels. The win lifted SWOSU to 4-1 on the year and set up a matchup with nationally-ranked Emporia State Tuesday in Weatherford.

Rose reached base with a one-out double and was lifted for pinch runner Bow Buckner. Buckner then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Powell. Buckner scored the winning run after Nelson Espinal hit a routine ground ball to the MACU third baseman. The fielder bobbled it and made a late throw to first allowing Espinal to reach safely and Buckner to sneak in behind with the winning run.

SWOSU had a number of offensive heroes in the wild game that featured 26 hits against a combined eight pitchers for the two teams.

Kenny Hare smashed a pair of home runs and was three-for-five in the game with four RBIS. Hare leads the LSC through the early portion of the season with a salty .657 batting average.  Hare homered in the fourth and again in the sixth. His second dinger  tied the game at 10-10.

Ricky Kirby went two-for-four with three RBI's and a home run. Kirby's fourth-inning smash was part of a six-run outburst that got the Bulldogs back in the game after trailing 8-2 after three and one-half innings.

Kevin Hyde picked up the win for the Bulldogs as he pitched a scoreless ninth inning and recorded the last two outs of the eighth. The win evened Hyde's record at 1-1 on the year.