 "Photo: Jacqueline Wittman")
The Texas Wesleyan Baseball team lost to third-ranked Oklahoma City University in a doubleheader Feb. 6, 6-4 and 18-0.
In the first game, the Rams started off strong as both teams remained scoreless until the third inning.
Junior pitcher Kody Thiebaud kept the Stars guessing, not allowing any successful hits from the start.
In the bottom of the third, senior outfielder Ryan Jacobi started the scoring for the Rams. Leighton Rush, senior shortstop, and Nick Schrock, senior outfielder, added back-to-back doubles.
The Rams led 3-0 until OCU answered in the top of the fifth with two runs. Mark Purser was the first to score for the Stars after the Rams committed an error.
The Rams responded in the bottom of the fifth when Jacobi stole second, scoring the last run of the day for the Rams.
OCU trailed 4-2 but took the lead and the win with three runs in the top of the seventh.
In the second game, the Stars came out strong and took the win, 18-0. Starting pitcher for the Rams was junior T.D. Huett. Freshman Jacob Lyons came in for relief in top of the first. With a three-run homerun from infielder Matt Presley, the Stars totaled five runs by the end of the first.
The Rams remained scoreless as Stars’ pitcher Mike Richard never cooled down. The Stars had six runs in the top of the third, leading 11-0. The Stars kept going with five more runs in the fourth. Infielder Kirk Walker and outfielder David Grellner finished off the match with two runs for the Stars in the seventh to take the 18-0 win.
In the NAIA preseason baseball coaches’ poll, OCU was picked by league coaches to finish second in the Sooner Athletic Conference after No.1 Lubbock Christian University. OCU tied for third in the NAIA World Series last year and has the most wins in college baseball since 1991 with Florida State University.
The Ram’s split a doubleheader against top-ranked and defending national champions Lubbock Christian University Feb. 7, losing the first game 2-1 before securing a 1-0 win in the 10th inning of game two.
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