Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla.—The Aggies took three Heartland Conference losses on their home field this weekend as they were defeated 4-1, 13-2 and 5-1 by the Jets of Newman University.

Freshman pitcher Jordan Ankrum got the start in game one on Saturday and went six innings giving up zero runs in five of them. A rough fourth inning produced four runs for the Jets off a grand slam homerun. A double followed by a walk put the first two runners on base with one out; an outfield error loaded the bases and the next hit went over the left field fence sending all four runners home. The Aggies' only run came in the first inning on an RBI single by Dehryen Noriega that brought in Payton Osbon from second base; Osbon singled to center to reach base and then stole second on a strike out. Ankrum took the loss with five hits and three earned runs; he tossed four strikeouts in 26 batters faced. Joel Perez entered in the seventh and closed out game one with just one hit and zero runs. Lucas Schauer got the win for the Jets pitching a complete game with just three hits allowed and seven strikeouts in 25 batters faced.

Saturday's second game brought junior lefty Felipe Beltran to the mound for OPSU. Newman took two runs in the first inning and three in the fourth to gain a 5-0 lead on the Aggies. Ivan Silva put OPSU on the board in the bottom of the fourth after hitting a single, stealing second and advancing the last two bases on ground-outs. Zane Grigsby came in to pitch of the Aggies in the top of the fifth and threw one out before being replaced by Adrian Lopez; each allowed three runs on their watch and two infield errors assisted the Jets as they took a ten-run lead (11-1) going into the bottom of the inning. A second run scored for the Aggies in the fifth as Quinn O'Neill hit a single and crossed home on a double by Osbon; Osbon reached for an extra base and was put out by the catcher at third base for the final out of the inning.

Another pitching change for OPSU sent senior Scott Cutright to the bump to open the sixth. Cutright stuck out his first batter faced before the Jets added another run off a single followed by a double; on two outs, with a runner on third, an error pushed through a second run giving the Jets a 13-2 advantage. With neither team able to score after that, the ten-run rule came into effect ending the game after seven innings. Chance Jones finished out the final inning for OPSU and gave up zero hits. Beltran got his first loss of the season in four innings of work; he and Cutright each threw two strikeouts apiece in the game. Newman's Dylan Porter earned his third win in six innings with seven hits and two earned runs.

On Sunday, the Aggies struck first scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Noriega led off with a double down the left line and scored from second base on a single by senior Jacob Milburn. With Tristan Hubler on the mound the Jets were kept quiet through the first three innings as just two hits were allowed and zero runs came through. The silence was shut down in the top of the fourth when Newman led off with a home run to right field tying the game at 1-1. The Aggies would not be allowed a run for the remainder of the game, while the Jets sent through two runners in the fifth and two more in the eighth giving Hubler his fourth loss of the season. Hubler gave up four hits for three earned runs in 4.2 innings of work. He was followed up by Joel Perez who went 2.1 innings with zero hits allowed. Samuel Beattie came in at the top of the eighth and gave up the final two runs on two hits and Josh Casillas came in to close in the ninth and gave up zero hits in three batters faced. Kane McCarthy earned the win for Newman in 7.1 innings allowing the only four hits the Aggies had in game three.

The Aggies totaled eight errors in the series and were taken for two of three stolen base attempts by the Jets. Their opponents committed two errors in 23 innings played and gave up just one stolen base in three attempts by the Aggies. Newman pitchers walked only four batters on the weekend, while OPSU's team combined for 14 base on balls; both teams totaled 16 strikeouts from the mound. The Aggies totaled 15 hits against Newman including two doubles; the Jets got off seven doubles and two homers out of 22 total hits in the series. OPSU Baseball now holds an overall record of 4-18 and still search for their first win within the conference. Newman improved to 14-8 on the season and owns a 2-2 Heartland record.

The Aggies are on the road for three matchups over the next week starting Tuesday, March 22 with a double-header in Austin, Texas against Huston-Tillotson College. From there the team heads south to San Antonio to resume conference play against St. Mary's on March 23-24. As they travel back to Oklahoma they stop off in Bethany on March 29 for a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene. OPSU Baseball returns to their home field for a three-game Heartland series against Texas A&M-International on April 1-2. Saturday's game on April 2 will be Military Appreciation Day at Aggie Field.