Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla.—In their last home series of the season the OPSU Baseball team was swept by the top-ranked team in the Heartland Conference and ninth-ranked nationally St. Edward's University. The Hilltoppers took a 9-0 shutout victory in game one and proceeded to an 11-4 win in game two and 16-2 run-rule victory in game three.

In Friday's first matchup, the Toppers held a 1-0 lead through the first three innings of play. Junior pitcher Samuel Beattie opened on the mound and gave up just three hits on one, unearned, in the opening stanza. The Aggies sent three batters to the plate in all seven innings, and St. Ed's starting pitcher Eric Hester sat all three down in each. Hester gave up two hits in the game, both singles; a lead-off single to senior Payton Osbon in the second inning and a base-hit to Juan Rubayo in the third. Beattie took the loss for OPSU in 4.1 innings with seven hits and four earned runs; he was relieved by Zane Grigsby for 1.2 innings. Grigsby allowed four hits for four earned runs and was replaced by Michael Mendoza, who gave up zero hits in the seventh. Hester earned his seventh win of the season with a 9-0 shutout over OPSU.

Game two got off to a rough start for the Aggies' Felipe Beltran who was taken for seven hits and nine earned runs in his first 1.2 innings on the mound. The Toppers scored three runs in the first and six in the second before Dallas Guerrero came in at relief. Guerrero gave up a two-run double with bases loaded before closing out the second inning, but left two runners stranded in the third to hold the score at 9-0. Two hits in the fourth, along with two batters walked, and two stray pitches helped add four more runs to the board for St. Edward's. With two outs in the fourth, Scott Cutright came in for Guerrero, and a runner caught stealing ended the inning. The Aggies were held hitless through the fifth inning, when a single by Derek Stallworth crushed the hopes of a perfect game for the Toppers. Rubayo then drove a two-run double down right-center to score the only two runs of the game for OPSU. Mendoza came in for Cutright in the top of the sixth after St. Ed's scored three runs. Mendoza got the final two outs and was replaced by Tiler Fletcher in the seventh. Fletcher gave up one hits, but zero runs. Beltran got his first loss of the season in game two which ended with a score of 4-11.

A celebration of six seniors took place prior to Saturday's home season finale with Austin Atkins, James Beasley, Josh Gordon, Sidgwick Hunter, Jacob Milburn and Payton Osbon each being recognized. Each senior also received playing time throughout the weekend as they took the field for the final time at Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

With windy conditions on Saturday, the Aggies felt they held an advantage over their opponents and came out swinging. Each team went through five pitching changes in the nine-inning matchup with Logan Litton getting the start for OPSU. Litton lasted 4.0 innings and was replaced in the fifth by Tristan Hubler who went 2.1. St. Edwards's took ten hits and seven runs on Litton's watch and four hits and three runs with Hubler on the bump. An RBI single scored one run for the Toppers in the first, while the Aggies were held hitless; two runs scored in the second inning for SEU, but the Aggies brought in one run of their own as senior James Beasley took base on an error and advances on the play; Beasley later scored from third on an RBI single by Cody Dion. Litton and the Aggie defense left three runners on base for St. Ed's in the third and then senior Jacob Milburn stepped up with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at 3-3.

The Toppers opened with a lead-off double in the top of the fourth, but Litton threw a strikeout, ground-out and fly-out to save the score. Three consecutive singles in the fifth brought Hubler to the mound for Litton; Hubler gave up two more hits and the Hilltoppers ended the inning with four runs to gain a 7-3 advantage. OPSU edged one-run closer in the sixth as Beasley doubled down the left line and pinch runner Haden Adams later scored on a sac-fly by Dion. Hubler was then replaced by Joel Perez with one out in the seventh after another run slipped through for SEU. The Toppers totaled four runs in the seventh, the last scoring inning of the game. Senior Josh Gordon got in the game in the top of the eight and threw two outs with one hit attributed; Dallas Guerrero wrapped up the ninth with zero hits. St. Edward's second pitcher, Cam Hatch, grabbed the win in 2.1 innings.

The Aggies now own a 5-38 overall record and have two series remaining on the schedule; they will close out conference play on the road with a three-game series this week against the University of Texas-Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas. The team will play their final games in Claremore, Okla. Against Rogers State May 6-7.