Baseball | 5/1/2018 12:05:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla. — Panhandle Baseball played their last home series of the regular season over Friday and Saturday against the tough opponent of the Oklahoma City University Stars who were tied for No. 5 in the nation and are ranked No. 1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Aggies fought hard through the last innings of each game, losing two in close decisions, but ultimately gave up the sweep to the Stars (3-2; 15-5; 11-8;).

Game one of Friday's double header began well for the Aggies, as OCU plated a run in the first, but the Aggies answered back with two in the bottom of the inning on RBIs from catcher Luis Rodriguez and first baseman Jared Mayeda to take an early lead, 2-1. Pitcher Garrison Armstrong and the defense kept the Stars quiet through the second and third innings, and OCU tacked on another run in the top of the fourth to tie the score. A costly error by the Aggies allowed another Stars' run in the top of the sixth, and Panhandle was unable to recover in the seventh inning, serving their first loss on the series. 3-2.

Game two left the Aggies close in stride with the Stars through the first half before OCU pulled away with an extensive lead to seal the game. OCU lead with five runs off five hits in the first and second innings, with the Aggies getting on the board in the bottom of the third with a solo homerun from senior Pierce Edwards. The Aggies kept up and plated another two runs in the fourth off an RBI groundout from third baseman Kasey Leatherwood, and pinch runner Frederick Frye stole home on a wild pitch to bring the score 5-3, still in favor of the Stars. OCU began to pull away in the fifth, scoring four runs off five hits, Including a two-RBI home run. Continuing their hitting streak, the Stars tacked on six more runs in the top of the sixth off Colby Fuller to take the score 15-3, and the Aggies would send Edwards to the mound. Panhandle plated another two runs in the bottom of the inning off RBIs from Edwards and outfielder Chris Schraer, but the damage was done and the Aggies walked away with their second loss on the day, 15-5.

A special Senior Day recognition began Saturday prior to game three, as the baseball team celebrated four graduating seniors: pitcher Adrian Lopez, pitcher Josh Casillas, short stop Nate Kelly, and pitcher/outfielder Pierce Edwards. Family, friends and teammates gathered on the field to stand alongside the talented senior athletes as they received their framed jerseys and were congratulated by the coaching staff and university president, Dr. Tim Faltyn.

OCU was quick to get on the board and take a long lead on the Aggies, plating five runs in the top of the second; one off a bases loaded walk and another four on a grand slam by the Stars' Joe Lytle. The hot hitting team added another two runs in the third off a two-RBI homerun to take the score 7-0. In the bottom of the inning, the Aggies began a rally that started with pinch runner Aaron Moreno scoring on a wild pitch to get on the board. The stars smacked an RBI single in the top of the fourth to take the tally 8-1. In the bottom of the inning, second baseman Juan Sanchez batted an RBI single through the right side to plate another run, and an RBI from outfielder Jaylon Burnett and a run off a wild pitch in the fifth kept the Aggies moving forward, 8-4. OCU continued to tack on the runs in the sixth, adding another two to further their lead, 10-4, but the Aggies continued to rally and added four runs off five hits in the bottom of the sixth, seeing RBIs from Sanchez, Kelly, Burnett, Bradley Ruiz and Gerson Padilla to inch closer to the Stars, 10-8. Both teams remained quiet but on edge through the seventh and eighth, but the Stars added a run in the top of the ninth and the Aggies would be unable to close the gap and took their final loss on the series sweep.

The Aggies finish the 2018 season with an overall record of 24-30, and a conference record of 17-11; both are the program's highest winning records in known school  history, which qualifies them for the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in recorded history. The tournament takes place this weekend May 4-7 in Oklahoma City (UCO) and Chickasha (USAO). More details and a tournament bracket schedule will be released separately.