Photo by Jean St. Fleur
Goodwell, Okla. – The Central Christian College baseball team opened up Sooner Athletic Conference play this past weekend on the road against the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies. The Tigers had a great series overall, but continued a trend of stranding too many runners on base in key situations.
The Tigers and Aggies split the double header on Friday, with the Aggies winning the opener and the Tigers bouncing back to take the night cap. The series came down to the nine inning game on Saturday. The Tigers gave great effort, but ended up a few runs short in the finale.
Game 1, L 4-3
Game one was a back and forth affair that needed extra innings to settle things. The Aggies got on the board first with a solo run in the bottom of the first. The Tigers tied the game in the top of the second but then allowed the Aggies to take the lead again two innings later 2-1. In the top of the sixth, the Tigers took their first lead of the game with two runs. The Aggies tied the game with a solo run in the bottom of the seventh, then walked it off with another run in the bottom of the eighth.
Hitting: The Tigers scored three runs in game one, and out-hit the Aggies 8 to 6. Seven of the eight hits were singles, the eighth was a double from
Carlos Gusman.
Pitching: Brandon Vegas got the start on the mound for the Tigers. He went three and two-thirds, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
Daniel Scott and
Tristan Castner came out of the bullpen in relief of Vegas. Scott went three and a third, and Castner came on in the eighth and was collared with the loss.
Leaders
Game 1
Hits: Tim Escamilla (3)
Doubles: Carlos Gusman (1)
Triples: none
Homeruns: none
RBI: Cam Whittle,
Tim Escamilla,
Carlos Gusman (1)
Stolen Bases: Jose Esparza (1)
Strikeouts Pitching: Brandon Vegas (5)
Put Outs: Jayden Leonhardt (8)
Assists: Carlos Gusman (3)
Game 2, W, 11-5
The Tigers bounced back in a big way in game two. The pitching was firm, and the bats were hot. The Tigers jumped all over the Aggies, scoring four runs in the top of the first, three more in the top of the second and one more in the third to lead 8-0. The Aggies cut the deficit in half with four in their half of the third, but the Tigers settled down again and only allowed one more the rest of the way. The offense put an exclamation point on the game with three more runs in the top of the seventh.
Hitting: Joseph Gusman powered the Tiger offense in game two. He went 4 for 5 with a homerun. He scored three times, and drove in three more. In all, the Tigers scored 11 runs on 18 hits, including three extra-base hits.
Pitching: Michael Pelosi got the start in game two and threw a gem. He pitched a complete game, allowing five runs on four hits. He punched out nine, and walked only two on his way to his second win of the season.
Leaders
Game 2
Hits: Joseph Gusman (4)
Doubles: Jace Phillips,
Tim Escamilla (1)
Triples: none
Homeruns: Joseph Gusman (1)
RBI: Joseph Gusman (3)
Stolen Bases: Joseph Gusman, Justin Taylor (1)
Strikeouts Pitching: Michael Pelosi (9)
Put Outs: Chris Esacamilla (9)
Assists: Jace Phillipa (2)
Game 3, L, 8-5
The series finale was another back and forth affair. The Tigers scored first in their half of the first with a solo run, but the Aggies quickly tied the game in their half of the first. The Tigers retook the lead with two in the third, but gave up three to the Aggies in the next half inning. In the fifth, the Tigers scored two again to regain the lead 5-4, but then gave it right back again in the bottom of the inning allowing the Aggies to score three. The Tiger offense stalled in the final four innings while the Aggies put up one more in the sixth to make the final score 8-5.
Hitting: The Tigers' bats stayed hot, out-hitting the Aggies 11-10, but unfortunately, they stranded eight more runners. Five of the 11 hits went for extra-bases including four doubles and a homerun.
Pitching: Levi Atherton was the game three starter. Worked the first four innings, giving up four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He left the game after the fourth, and the Tigers retook the lead in the fifth. They were unable to hold the lead, giving Atherton a no-decision. The loss would ultimately fall on the shoulders of
Colt Gniech who worked the fifth and sixth innings. He surrendered four runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Castner came of the pen again on Saturday. He held the Aggies scoreless, and gave up just one hit in two innings of work.
Leaders
Game 3
Hits: Joseph Gusman,
Jace Phillips,
Carlos Gusman,
Noel Aquino (2)
Doubles: Jace Phillips (2)
Triples: none
Homeruns: Carlos Gusman (1)
RBI: Carlos Gusman (3)
Stolen Bases: Carlos Gusman (2)
Strikeouts Pitching: Levi Atherton (5)
Put Outs: Chris Escamilla (9)
Assists: Three Tigers (1)
Coach Quote: "This weekend showed a lot of growth with our freshmen. We put
Daniel Scott in a tough situation in game one, and he excelled on the mound.
Jace Phillips had a couple of real good at bats and that's experience that will grow throughout the remainder of the year.
Noel Aquino also came through in some tough situations as well. On the mound
Brandon Vegas,
Michael Pelosi IV, and
Levi Atherton gave solid starts for us. The main story of the weekend was the fact we left too many runners on base. We had opportunities to score, but offensively couldn't get it done." – Coach
Stephen McNett
Next Up: The Tigers will be on the road Tuesday for a nine inning game with the Newman University Jets. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm in Wichita, Kan.
