The ninth-ranked Ouachita Baptist University baseball team was on the verge of a doubleheader sweep of No. 18 Angelo State, but after taking the opening game, 8-4, the Tigers surrendered four runs in the final inning of the second game to fall to the Rams, 8-7, Sunday afternoon at Foster Field.
In the opener, Ouachita (1-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as the Tigers scored two runs on a pair of hits and took advantage of a Rams error.
Rudy Jovanovski, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of hits, led off the frame with a single and moved to second when Drew Maus drew a walk. Derek Dibbens reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced on an error as Jovanovski scored. With one out, Drew Wurzelbacher flied out to right to bring in Maus.
Angelo State (1-1) cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second, scoring a run on three hits.
Keith Towne began the inning with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a Travis Lites ground out to the shortstop. Chris Adamson followed with a single through the right side to bring Towne’s in, cutting the Tigers lead to 2-1.
Ouachita extended the lead to 4-1 in the top of the third.
JoeDan Poulter led off the frame with a single to left and scored on Will Gowdy’s two-run homer.
The Rams continued to chip away at the Ouachita lead by scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth and tied the contest at 4 in the bottom of the sixth.
The Tigers put the game out of reach by scoring four runs on two hits in the top of the ninth.
With one out in the frame, Brock Green was hit by a pitch and Blake Lockwood walked. Both scored when Will Gowdy, who went 2-for-5 and drove in five, homered with two outs. Jovanovski followed with a solo homer to give the Tigers an 8-4 lead.
Chase Baran started on the mound for the Tigers. He went six innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts. Jerry Helferich (1-0) picked up the win by working two innings. He gave up a run on two hits. Patrick Lemmond closed things out by working the ninth.
Kenny Elkind pitched for the Rams, going 6 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Sam Janca and Sean Winscher (0-1) worked in relief.
In the second game, the Rams scored a run in the opening inning, but the Tigers scored four runs on five hits and took advantage of an error to grab a 4-1 lead.
Back came Angelo State, scoring a pair in the second to cut the Ouachita lead to 4-3.
The Tigers used a three-run fifth to take a 7-3 advantage, but Angelo State continued to chip away at the lead and trailed 7-4 going into the seventh inning.
Austin Lasprilla began the inning by reaching base as he was hit by a pitch. Trey Carter walked and with one out, Towne walked to load the bases. Lasprilla scored on a wild pitch and after a pitching change, Lites was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Adamson singled up the middle to tie the game as Travis Lee, who pinch ran for Towne, and Carter scored. Jason Morriss followed and he was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the third time in the frame. Tony Kostelnik’s single to left brought in Lites for the game-winning run.
Jarod Hershberger started for the Tigers, going four innings. He surrendered four runs on six hits and had four strikeouts. Payne Spence worked two innings of relief by giving up two hits. Wesley Clingman, who replaced Spence to begin the seventh, pitched a third of an inning as he was tagged for three runs on no hits. He walked two and struck out one. Trent Lingle (0-1) took the loss. He gave up a run on two hits, while hitting a pair.
Ouachita hurt itself in the final inning by hitting three of the six batters in the second game.
Jovanovski led the Tigers at the plate by going 3-for-4, while Poulter was 2-for-4. The loss overshadowed Gowdy’s third homer of the season.
Joe Key pitched for the Rams, going four innings. He gave up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits with four strikeouts. Michael Medrano (1-0) worked three innings of relief to get the win.
Ouachita completes the series 12:00 p.m., Monday, Feb. 2 against No. 18 Angelo State at Foster Field. The game can be heard on the Ouachita Baptist University Athletic Web site at: www.obutigers.com.
