GLENDALE, Ariz. – After a bleak start to their doubleheader against Arizona Christian on Friday, the OUAZ baseball team flipped the script in game two and picked up a split with their rivals on the first day of their weekend GSAC series at Apollo High School.
OUAZ had few answers in a 17-1 loss in the opener before securing the 10-4 win in game two. With the result, OUAZ is now 7-14 overall and 4-7 in the conference.
GAME 1
The Spirit trailed 2-1 going to the bottom of the fourth before ACU struck for five runs in that inning to start a run of 15 consecutive runs to close the ballgame. OUAZ managed just three hits in the game and they allowed 21 to the Firestorm.
Daniel Partida had the Spirit's lone RBI with a single in the third inning.
Griffin Hagen and
Ben Lewis had the team's other two hits.
Gage Johnson (1-1) suffered the loss by allowing seven runs (all earned) on eight hits in 3.1 innings.
Zachary Lehman was the only of the five Spirit pitchers to not allow a run. He worked the final 1.1 innings scoreless with just one hit allowed.
GAME 2
Determined to rally back in the nightcap, OUAZ scored in the top of the first and then went of 4-0 after a two-run double from Lewis and an RBI double from
Jordan Hollins in the top of the fifth. ACU got three runs back in the bottom of the fifth before the Spirit sealed with win with a three-run sixth and three-run seventh.
Jared Crockett had the key blow in the sixth inning when he doubled with the bases loaded to score three.
Hunter Lessard and
Kobie Tinsley would add RBI in the seventh inning.
Crockett finished the game 4 for 5 with those three RBI and a pair of runs scored. He had two of the team's four doubles. Lewis and Lessard joined Hagen and
Hunter Parks with two-hit games.
Taylor Campos (2-3) was strong on the mound to earn the win. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits with three strikeouts.
Myles White allowed just one run and two hits in the final 2.2 innings to secure his fourth save of the season.
QUOTING MONTEZ
"Today we again showed some toughness and resiliency after getting our tails whipped in game one," OUAZ head coach
Tim Montez said after the day. "We had a lot of moving parts with several of our student-athletes taking finals and arriving at the games late, but our young men stayed together as a group and found a way to really do a nice job of competing and finding a way to win the nightcap."
UP NEXT
OUAZ and Arizona Christian will complete this four-game series with another doubleheader on Saturday at Apollo High School. First pitch of game one is slated for 11 a.m.
