OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University baseball team swept no. 20 McPherson College at Alumni Park on Saturday afternoon to take the season series, 3-0. Ottawa won 4-3 on Friday afternoon and on Saturday took game two, 7-2, and game three in eight innings, 5-4. The Braves are now on an eight-game winning streak.
Game One
The Braves took the lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Cole Broughton and
Zachary Spradlin led off with back-to-back singles.
Pedro Astacio scored Broughton with a hit to left to give OU a 1-0 lead.
Ottawa increased its lead over McPherson in the bottom of the third. Broughton doubled to center and Spradlin walked to give OU runners on first and second.
Jonah Weisner grounded out to the Bulldog short stop but moved Broughton to third and Spradlin to second.
Pedro Astacio walked, bringing
Nicholas Sizemore to the plate with the bases loaded. He got the hit with runners in scoring position, clearing the bases with a double to left, and OU had a 4-0 lead.
The Braves pushed three more runs across home plate in the bottom of the fifth. Singles by Spradlin and Wiesner gave OU runners at first and second. Astacio singled to left, moving Spradlin to third and Weiser to second. Spradlin came around and scored on the misplayed grounder by the Bulldog left fielder and OU led 5-0. Ottawa took a 7-0 lead on a single to center by Sizemore. His hit scored Weisner and Astacio.
McPherson cut into the Brave lead with two runs in the top of the eighth, 7-2. The Bulldogs were not able to rally in the top of the ninth and the Braves took the 7-2 victory
.
Inside the Box Score
Game Two
Ottawa scored first, taking the lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Cole Broughton doubled to center.
Zachary Spradlin singled to right, moving Broughton to third.
Jonah Weisner grounded out to second, scoring Broughton to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Pedro Astacio reached first on an error by the Bulldog third baseman and Spradlin scored to give OU a 2-0 lead.
McPherson scored three runs in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead over the Braves. That lead did not last long as OU tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Spradlin doubled to left and then scored on a single to right by Weisner to tie the game at 3-3.
Ottawa retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Gabe Eckstaine singled to left. Pinch hitter,
Lukas Rich singled up the middle, moving Eckstaine to second.
Tyler Farnham scored Eckstaine from third with a single to center and the Braves had a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh, McPherson rallied and tied the game 4-4. The Braves were not able to win the game in the bottom of the seventh the game went into the eighth.
In the top of the eighth, McPherson had two reach base. The OU defense didn't allow a run to cross home and the Braves were able to end the game in their bottom half of the inning.
Pedro Astacio walked and
Jarret Gage entered as a pinch runner for Astacio. Sizemore moved Gage to second with a sacrifice bunt.
Robby Williams moved Gage to third and
Gabe Eckstaine came to the plate with runners on the corners. Eckstaine attempted to bunt Gage home but both his bunt attempts went foul. He then put the bat on the ball sending it in the hole between third and short, scoring Gage to give the Braves a 5-4 victory.
Inside the Box Score
Who is Next
Ottawa (27-12, 15-7) takes its eight game winning streak on the road to Kansas City, Mo. to finish its series with Avila University on Tuesday, April 11. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
