Baseball | 4/2/2018 9:38:00 AM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla.— The Aggies can revel in a three-win sweep against the Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions as they took the series over Friday and Saturday (14-13; 8-5; 18-8).

Teams took to Aggie Field for a double header Friday, where game one would prove to be a true battle of the bats. The Lions were quick to plate runs off Adrian Lopez on the mound, scoring three runs off four hits to start the first. The Aggies answered back in the bottom of the inning, as successive singles from Pierce Edwards and Gerson Padilla got runners on and RBI's from Jared Mayeda and Kasey Leatherwood brought in the two runs. Bradley Ruiz made the most of a base on balls at bat and made his way around the bases to steal home and tie the score 3-3. The Lions had another four-run-inning in the top of the third and Garrison Armstrong would come to the mound for the Aggies. In the bottom of the inning with two outs, Jaylon Burnett singled through the left side, advanced and scored off back to back singles from Juan Sanchez and Chris Schraer. The Aggies continued to battle and closed the gap off singles from Leatherwood and Schraer and a passed ball advance by Frederick Frye, bringing the score 8-7 in favor of the Aggies. An efficacious fifth inning again expedited the lead for the Lions, as they scored five runs off four hits and pulled away with the lead, 12-8 as the Aggies sent Charlie Marini to the bump. Both teams went scoreless through the fifth and the Aggies added a run to start the sixth off Schraer's fourth RBI of the game. Colby Fuller would enter to close out the inning and allowed one run, bringing the score 13-9, Lions.

The Aggies refused to concede and rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Padilla singled to get on and proceeded to steal the next two bases before scoring off a double from Mayeda, and Aaron Moreno would come in to pinch run for the junior first baseman. Catcher Luis Rodriguez barreled a single to left center, and Jake Dean would enter to pinch run. The Aggies took advantage of an overthrow on a first and third play that lead Dean to steal second and Moreno to steal home to put the Aggies within two runs of tying the score. Leatherwood made his way to first on a walk and would advance along with Dean on a failed back pick by the Lions to put runners in scoring position at second and third. Freshman outfielder Burnett stepped up for the Aggies and roped a single to right center to bring in both runners and tie the score 13-13. Schraer would earn a walk to first and a double steal sent runners again to scoring position on second and third. Senior and .374 hitter Nate Kelly came in to pinch hit for Ruiz and won it for the Aggies 14-13 with a walk-off single to center field. Fuller would earn his third win of the season off a combative game one.

The Aggies had a strong start to game two, plating three runs in the bottom of the first off a 2-RBI sac fly from Burnett and pinch runner Moreno would score off an error by the Lions' pitcher. The second and third innings remained scoreless on both sides, and the Lions started off the fourth with two runs to get on the board 3-2, Aggies. The Aggies had an explosive bottom of the inning off RBI's from Sanchez, Mayeda and Rodriguez to extend the lead 8-2. The Lions added three runs in the fifth but the final two innings would remain silent for both teams, leaving the final score 8-5, sending the Aggies home with a game-two win. Corey Ley would earn the win and Josh Casillas would come away with the save.

The Aggies took to the field on Saturday for game three with Cesar Gomez on the mound and the first inning passed quietly for both teams. The Lions started off the second plating four runs off three hits, but the Aggies answered back by double in the bottom of the inning. Schraer singled through the gap and Dean walked on a hit-by-pitch to get runners on first and second and the two were brought in by a 2-RBI ground-rule double from Leatherwood. Ruiz earned a base on balls and the series' hot hitter Padilla slammed a 3-RBI home run over left center. To follow, Sanchez singled, advanced on a balk and scored off an RBI double from Burnett. Rodriguez walked and Moreno was brought in to pinch run. Schraer stepped up with runners on first and second and doubled to left, scoring Burnett and Moreno, bringing the Aggies' lead 8-2 by the end of the second inning. Both teams plated two runs each in the third, including a solo homerun from Padilla, his second of the game. The Lions tacked on another in the top of the fourth to bring the score 10-7, Aggies, and Garrison Armstrong would take the mound. In a fruitful bottom of the fourth, the Aggies added six runs off seven hits and RBI's from Mayeda, Dean and Leatherwood, respectively, to take the lead 16-7. SAGU added a run in the fifth, but Panhandle plated another two runs in the bottom of the seventh on the bats of Leatherwood and Padilla, instituting a ten-run rule to close the game in the seventh, 18-8.

The Aggies hold an 18-21 record on the season and are 500 in conference at 9-9. A midweek matchup at Friends University will take the Aggies to Wichita on April 3 and Aril 6-7 will yield a three-game series against Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth. The Aggies return home on April 10 for a midweek double header against Northwestern Oklahoma. Game one against the Rangers will begin Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.