OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University baseball team took the series against (RV) Oklahoma Wesleyan University on Saturday morning. OU won game three, 12-10, and finishes the regular season with an overall record of 29-21.
Oklahoma Wesleyan struck first, taking a 1-0 lead over the Braves in the top of the first inning. Ottawa earned that run back, plus one more in the bottom of the first.
Dylan Garcia singled to center and
Nicholas Sizemore was hit by a pitch, giving OU runners on first and second. An error by the Eagle center fielder put
Marcellus Pearson on first, loading the bases for the Braves.
Johnny Vulcano was hit by a pitch, scoring Garcia to tie the game 1-1. Ottawa took the lead on
Brent Swearingen's ground out to shortstop.
Jeremy Freeman, Jr., who was in the game as a courtesy runner for
Nicholas Sizemore, scored and OU had a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles scored one run in the top of the second to tie the game, 2-2. OKWU retook the lead with a run in the top of the third, 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Ottawa was able to retake the lead.
Trey McClelland singled to center.
Liam Vulcano's double to center scored McClelland, tying the game at 3-3. A ground out to first by
Keaton Banister moved Vulcano 90 feet from home.
Tyler Farnham scored Vulcano with a single up the middle and the Braves had a 4-3 lead.
Oklahoma Wesleyan pushed three runs across home plate in the top of the sixth, retaking the lead 6-4. The Braves answered with an offensive explosion of seven runs, scoring all with two outs, in their bottom half of the sixth.
Garcia walked and advanced to second with Farnham's single up the middle. Sizemore singled to left, scoring Garcia to put OU within one run, 6-5.
Marcellus Pearson doubled to right center and scored both Farnham and Freeman, who was in the game as a courtesy runner for Sizemore, to give OU a 7-6 lead.
A wild pitch moved Pearson to third and back-to-back walks by
Johnny Vulcano and Swearingen loaded the bases for the Braves. McClelland cleared the bases with one swing of his bat, hitting a grand slam and giving OU an 11-6 lead.
The Eagles chipped away at the OU lead. OKWU scored three run sin the top of the seventh and one in the top of the eighth to cut Ottawa's lead to 11-10. In the bottom of the eighth, the Braves scored an insurance run to give them a two run lead.
Johnny Vulcano walked. Swearingen's double to center scored Vulcano, giving the Braves a 12-10 lead.
In the top of the ninth, OKWU had the bases loaded with no outs.
Caden Gray entered the game and promptly got a fly out and a line out. On the final at bat for the Eagles, pinch hitter Parker Disidore sent the ball deep into left.
Jaquavius Davis tracked the ball down and made the catch, preserving the OU 12-10 victory.
Inside the Box Score
Who is Next
The Braves (29-21, 22-14) are the fourth seed in the KCAC Tournament that will be held in Great Bend, Kan., May 1-May 4.
