After winning two out of their first three games on the road against Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), USAO’s baseball team (3-1, 0-0 SAC) came home and were prepared to win their home opener against McPherson College (1-4, 0-0 KCAC).
The first inning was a quick one on defense for the Drovers. Pitcher Brian Ereu was able to get three quick outs via two grounders and one strikeout.
However, the offense for USAO was off to a hot start with a series of hits that resulted in three runs. A single into left field by right fielder Gabriel Arroyo followed by a double from designated hitter Christopher Martinez put the Drovers on the board with one run. After third basemen Ben Bach walked, catcher Gunnar Hansen brought the runners in with an RBI double, allowing Martinez and Bach to reach home plate.
The top of the second inning was a continued showcase of defensive ability from USAO. McPherson College was able to get a single but couldn’t follow up. The Drover defense had three straight outs after the base hit with two pop flies and another strikeout from Ereu.
The Bulldogs started the bottom of the second with a sloppy play including a balk and a wild pitch. Those errors put the Drovers in scoring position on two separate occasions, both of which would score runs for USAO. Arroyo hit an RBI single which allowed left fielder Gage Ninness to score from second following the balk that advanced him to the base.
Martinez was next in the batting order following Arroyo, where he got close to striking out, but both Arroyo and Martinez were able to advance bases following a wild pitch from the Bulldogs. Following this, a sac fly from first basemen Peyton McDowall allowed Arroyo to score. A single to right field from Hansen eventually led to Martinez scoring as well. This would conclude the inning with USAO holding a lead of 6-0.
Innings three and four were uneventful between the two teams as only four hits and five walks occurred from both teams. At the top of the fifth though, McPherson saw pinch runner Ky’Rell Taylor advance to second after a wild pitch from the Drovers. After this, centerfielder Jace Essig hit a home run toward left field, scoring the first two runs of the night for the Bulldogs. By the end of the fifth inning, USAO led 6-2.
The sixth inning consisted of the Drovers putting their foot down and taking control of the game. USAO only allowed one hit on defense with the pitching change of Tristian Perry for Ereu. On the offensive end, it was no different as the Drovers added two hits and another run to the scoreboard. A single from Bach led McDowall home, making the score 7-2.
USAO continued their great play in the seventh inning, only allowing one hit with another pitching change of Hagan Earls for Perry. At the bottom of the seventh, a walk and an error put two runners on base early for USAO. A ground out from Ninness left enough time for third basemen Ben Lawson to run home and add another tally for USAO. Boone Lasater advanced to second during the ground out as well. A few plays later, an RBI double from Martinez saw Lasater running home, increasing the score to 9-2 in favor of the Drovers.
The eighth inning saw no offensive runs from either side, with both teams earning one hit and two walks for the inning. McPherson tried to make it interesting in the ninth inning by adding two runs. However, it was no match for the consistency of the Drovers with the final score ending at 9-4 in favor of USAO.
The Drovers pitching team was great for them in this game. Ereu saw the most action pitching for five innings, where he struck out eight of the Bulldogs and allowing only five hits. Earls didn’t allow McPherson to score during the seventh and eighth innings of the game. Perry allowed one hit during his lone inning he played in, while striking out one batter. Rob Schmidt pitched the last inning of the game for the Drovers. He allowed two runs off two hits, and he struck out two batters.
The batting department was also a huge part of USAO first win at home, as Arroyo, Martinez, and Hansen all had multiple hits in the game. Martinez went 3-4 on the game with two of those hits being doubles. He was also tied with Arroyo for runs scored as both players had two. Along with having two hits, Hansen had the most RBI’s for the Drovers with three.
This game against McPherson College was the first in a three-game series at Bill Smith Ball Park in Chickasha. Due to inclement weather, the rest of the series has been moved to Friday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. with the final game of the series at 4:30 p.m.
Matthew Yokum is a second-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
