Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla.—OPSU baseball gave Aggie fans an exciting two days of baseball as they took on Dakota State in a three-game series starting Sunday afternoon and wrapping up Monday.

Freshman Sam Beattie started on the mound for the Aggies in game one, pitching a complete seven innings and shutting out the Trojans 1-0 to earn his first win of the season. The Australian pitcher only had one hit against him and tallied ten strikeouts with only one walk.

The Aggies' one run took place in the fourth inning when Ruben Aguirre singled, bringing in Peyton Osbon from third for the RBI.

The wind died down for the second game, but the action heated up. Spencer Long was the stating Aggie pitcher and threw five innings taking three hits and one run.

The Trojans scored first with one run in the third inning and the Aggies answered in the fourth when Dylan Dudley blasted a double with two outs bringing in Aguirre for the score.

Adam Burke came in to pitch for the Aggies at the top of the sixth; Burke pitched four innings allowing seven hits and two runs.

The bats cooled down in innings five through eight, but things livened up in the ninth as each team brought in two runs apiece. Dakota State brought in their third pitcher for the day, and Aguirre hit a lead-off double to welcome him to the mound. Aguirre then advance to third on a wild pitch.

Nick Crosswhite grabbed another double off the Torjan pitcher, which brought Aguirre across home plate. Crosswhite then advanced to third as Robert Montoya grounded out for the first out. Another wild pitch brought Crosswhite home and the following to hitters closed out the inning.

Guymon native Walker Rainwater came out of the bullpen to pitch the tenth inning for the Aggies. Rainwater allowed two runs which brought the Trojans up 5-3.

Dakota State also made a change on the mound, bringing in Seth Spears who started with the 1-3 out on Lucas Ogaz. Peyton Osbon advanced to first after being hit by a pitch.

The Trojan pitcher was rattled from that point on as he advanced Osbon on a balk. Jordan Bernal grabbed a quick single and then then was immediately advanced to second on another Spears balk which also advanced Osbon home to bring the Aggies within two runs of a win.

With one out, the Trojans brought in a new pitcher who opened by walking Nicolas Zieniuk putting runners on first and second. Ruben Aguirre was next up at bat and slammed a double brining in Bernal and Zieniuk for the Aggie win (6-5). Rainwater earned his first win of the season.

Monday brought mild weather and another exciting showdown. Dakota State lit up the scoreboard early knocking in three runs in the first inning. Tom Parker was the starting pitcher for the Aggies and went five full innings taking seven hits and four runs.

The Aggie bats came alive in the fifth as Bo Ybarra and Jacob Milburn each crossed home plate: Ybarra reached first on an error by third base as did Milburn. Ybarra stole third and was brought home by a sacrifice fly from Lucas Ogaz. After two outs Jordan Bernal hit a single to bring in Milburn for the RBI.

Dakota State scored one run in the fifth and was up 4-2 going in to the sixth. The sixth inning remained scoreless as Josh Casillas came in to pitch for the Aggies.

The Aggies brought in two runs in the seventh tying the game at 4-4; Ogaz and Osbon each crossed home. Dylan Chavez came in to pitch for the Aggies advancing two runners on a balk, putting runners on second and third. Two Trojan RBIs followed and Dakota State ended the inning up by two with a score of 6-4.

Chavez walked the first batter at the top of the ninth, got the next pitcher out on a fielder's choice and followed with two straight strikeouts.

Lucas Ogaz stepped up with a big triple to open for the Aggies and was brought in on a sac-fly by Peyton Osbon. A fourth Trojan pitcher entered the game after Jordan Bernal was walked to first. With two outs Ruben Aguirre found himself in a familiar situation, but this time advanced on a walk. It was senior Nick Crosswhite who saved the day by hitting a double and bringing in two RBI and giving the Aggies their third win of the season. The freshman pitcher Chavez grabbed his first win as an Aggie.

OPSU head baseball coach Steve Appel had this to say after game three: "Winning three one-run ballgames is huge for this young group. We have been struggling to score runs and to now know they can come back and win two games in a row is huge; it should give this group a ton of confidence going into Wednesday's matchup and then into conference play. I think once we put all facets of the game together, this group can be a dangerous team to watch. These guys are hungry to turn this place around and winning these tight games allows them to relax and do their thing in future games."

Leading the Aggies in hitting was Ruben Aguirre who averaged .455 with two runs and three RBI. Nick Crosswhite also brought in 3 RBI and totaled 21 putouts from first base.

The Aggies totaled 19 hits and 12 RBI for the series and their record now stands at 3-7. They will travel to Moore, Okla. Wednesday to take on Hillsdale Baptist and will continue on to Fort Smith, Ark. for a three-game series with UA-Fort Smith Feb. 21-22.