Chris Gordon homered, tripled and drove in five as the fifth-ranked Ouachita Baptist University baseball team cruised to a 12-5 victory over Truman State Friday afternoon at Rab Rodgers Field.
Gordon went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and five RBIs. JoeDan Poulter was 3-for-6 with two runs batted in and a run scored, while Derek Dibbens went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Truman State (0-2) scored a run in the top of the third off an Ouachita error to grab a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers (6-2) used the long ball to grab 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the fourth.
With one out, Derek Dibbens singled up the middle and with two down, Gordon drilled a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall to give Ouachita a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers extended the margin to 4-1 by scoring a pair in the bottom of the fifth.
Will Gowdy singled through the left side to begin the inning and took second on a pick-off attempt as the throw from first was wide of the bag at second. With one out, Brock Green and Dibbens were hit by pitches to load the bases. After a pitching change, Drew Baker reached on an error by the shortstop as Gowdy scored. Gordon followed and hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Brandon Moyer, who pinch ran for Green.
Ouachita continued to add runs, scoring four times to take an 8-1 advantage.
Poulter began the inning by reaching on an error by the third baseman and taking second on the play. With one out, Rudy Jovanovski singled through the left side as Poulter stopped at third. Matt Burton ripped a base hit to right center to plate Poulter and Dibbens was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the second time in back-to-back innings. Baker reached on a fielder’s choice as Jovanovski scored and Burton was out at third for the second out. Gordon continued to have an outstanding by tripling to right center to scorer Dibbens and Baker.
Truman State battled back in the top of the seventh by scoring four runs on four hits, while taking advantage of an error to cut the deficit to 8-5.
Ouachita put the game away in the bottom of the eighth by scoring four runs.
Dibbens began the inning with a double to left and advanced to third on a groundout by Baker. Gordon was hit by a pitch and took second on a stolen base. Wurzelbacher was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the third time in the game. Drew Maus plated Dibbens and Gordon on a base hit through the left side. Poulter cleared the bases with his second standup double of the day to give the Tigers a 12-5 lead.
Chase Baran (1-0) earned his first win of the season by going six innings. He surrendered one run (unearned) on three hits with a walk and a season-high seven strikeouts. Trent Lingle, Jerry Helferich and Wesley Clingman pitched in relief.
Christian Witt (0-1) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He went 3 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout. Eric Radel, AJ Barton, Pete Johnson and Jake Smith also worked innings in relief.
Ouachita continues to play at the friendly confines of Rab Rodgers Field with a three-game series against Drury. The first pitch scheduled Saturday, Feb. 14 is at noon, while Sunday’s game is slated for 1:00 p.m. All three games will be available to listen to on the Ouachita Baptist University Athletic Web site at: www.obutigers.com.
