WINFIELD, Kan. – The Ottawa University baseball team completed its three game sweep of Southwestern College on Sunday afternoon, taking a 13-9 victory over the Moundbuilders. The Braves are in third place in the KCAC, just 3.5 games out of first place with four games remaining in KCAC play.

The Braves took the lead in the top of the first inning. Cole Broughton led off the game with a double to right-center. Zachary Spradlin's sacrifice bunt moved Broughton 90 feet from home. Jonah Weisner scored Broughton with a single up the middle and OU led 1-0.

Weisner stole second, giving OU a runner in scoring position. Lukas Rich scored Weisner with a double to right-center and Ottawa had a 2-0 lead.

OU extended its lead in the top of the fourth inning. Gabe Eckstaine was hit by a pitch and then swiped second. Brandon Kelly singled to left, scoring Eckstaine and the Braves had a 3-0 lead.
Southwestern answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth and two in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. Ottawa responded in the top of the sixth.

The OU offense scored five runs on four hits and one error to take an 8-3 lead. The Moundbuilders scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Brave lead to 8-4. In the top of the seventh. Pedro Astacio hit a home run to right field, giving the Braves a 9-4 lead.

SWC scored one run in the bottom of the seventh and one in the bottom of the eighth to cut OU's lead to 9-6. Ottawa was able to put some insurance runs on the board with four runs in the top of the ninth.

The Braves loaded the bases in their final at bat of the game. Eckstaine hit an infield single scoring Spradlin to give OU a 10-6 lead. Kelley followed that with a double to center, clearing the bases and Ottawa had a 13-6 lead.

The Moundbuilders tried to rally in the bottom half of the ninth. Southwestern scored three runs to get within 13-9. That was all the closer SWC would get as the Braves took the 13-9 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Tyler Farnham, Brandon Kelley, Gabe Eckstain, and Pedro Astacio had two hits apiece.
• Kelley led the Braves with four RBI and Lukas Rich had three.
• Tyler Bryant returned for injury to get the win in relief.

Who is Next
Ottawa (32-14, 20-9) returns to the diamond on Monday, April 24 against the University of Saint Mary at Alumni Park. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.