Austin Beckner had a great day at the plate hitting two home runs ,one double and scoring five runs for the Aggies in Tuesday's doubleheader against Southern Nazarene.—Sarah Henderson photo
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Box Score 2 Bethany, Okla.—Despite solid efforts from Aggie batters, the OPSU Baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene Tuesday afternoon, falling 4-6 and 11-14 to the Crimson Storm.
Sophomore first baseman Austin Beckner put up a prime performance at the plate sending all three of his hits for extra bases. Beckner drove a double in game one and scored two of the Aggies' four runs in their first seven-inning matchup of the day. As the designated hitter in game two, he brought in four RBI on two two-run homers, helping OPSU own the lead through the top of the sixth inning. The Storm came back with six runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth and shut down the Aggie bats with three pop-ups in the seventh to take the win.
Junior leftie Felipe Beltran took the mound for the Aggies in game one and went 4.1 innings before being relieved by sophomore (RHP) Dallas Guerrero. Guerrero took the field with one out and two runners on base in the top of the fifth, and the Aggies held a 4-2 lead. His first batter reached on a fielder's choice, stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch, scoring Beltran's two runners. With two on and two outs, Guerrero's third batter faced hit a three-run homer and claimed a 6-4 lead which they held through the remaining inning and a half.
Guerrero was given the game one loss in 1.2 innings one with one hit and two earned runs; Beltran finished his watch with four hits and four earned runs. The Aggies totaled two hits in the game; Beckner's double and the single by Jacob Milburn that scored Beckner in the third. Cody Dion and Derek Stallworth crossed home plate in the fifth along with Beckner who came across on an error.
The Aggies led off with another left-handed pitcher in game two, putting junior Tristan Hubler on the bump. Hubler gave up the opening run in the first inning and then held strong through the third. In the top of the second OPSU's lead-off hitter (Dion) was walked and then advanced to second as Beckner reached base on an error. A single by B.J. Henry loaded the bases with Aggies and, as freshman Haden Adams was hit by a pitch, Dion would score the tying run for OPSU (1-1). Quinn O'Neill then stepped up with a single to left field, good for two RBI giving the Aggies a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the inning.
Beckner's homer added two more runs in the top of the third, and the Aggies seemed to have the game in control as they brought through four runs in the fourth inning. A two-run single by Joseph Cerda, a wild pitch and an RBI-single by Henry gave the Aggies a comfortable eight-run cushion halfway through the matchup (9-1). But, Southern Nazarene's offense sprung to life in the bottom of the fourth as six hits (two doubles) sent five runs home, narrowing the gap to three runs. Logan Litton replaced Hubler with one out on the inning; Litton remained on the mound through the first out in the bottom of the sixth.
A pitching change by the home team saw three-up/three-down for OPSU in the top of the fifth. The Storm closed in on the Aggies taking two runs in the bottom of the fifth with the help of and infield error. With Dion on base, Beckner fired off his second home run of the game to bring in two runs and give the Aggies a little breathing room with an 11-8 advantage going into the bottom-half of the inning. SNU's lead-off batter was hit by a pitch from Litton and crossed home on back-to-back singles. A batter walked loaded the bases for the Storm and another hit batter brought through the second run of the inning. Edward Lopez entered for Litton with one out and three on base, and a double on his opening batter added two RBI to put SNU up by one run (12-11). Two more runs came across before the third out ended the inning and the Aggies were allowed just one hit in the seventh, ending the game in favor of the home team. Litton took the loss in 2.0 innings with seven runs on four hits (six earned).
The Aggies will return to their home field this weekend to resume Heartland Conference play in a three-game series with Texas A&M-International April 1-2. The Dustdevils own a 12-17 overall record and three wins within the conference. OPSU Baseball now holds a 5-26 record on the season with one Heartland win. Friday's double-header begins at 1 p.m. and Saturday the Aggies will recognize Military Appreciation Day with a special ceremonial first-pitch at Noon.
