WAXAHACHIE, Texas — The Oklahoma Panhandle State baseball team (7-9, 0-5 SAC) traveled Friday to Nelson University (14-6, 2-3 SAC), where it fell 11-2 and 15-2 versus the Lions. 
 
Despite the Aggies minimizing their errors and making decent contact at the plate in both games, an inability to get past the Nelson defense defined the day for the OPSU bats.
 
Game 1: The Aggies kept the Lions at bay during the first two innings but ultimately fell behind after allowing eight runs in the third inning. 
 
Julian Payan scored the first Aggie run in the fourth inning after being walked as the first batter. The Aggies then held off Nelson, only allowing one run scored in the bottom of the fourth, bringing the score to 9-1. 
 
OPSU continued to fight hard at the dish over the next two innings, leaving two runners on base after each frame but being just unable to come around to score. Nelson put up two more runs, bringing the score to 11-1 entering the seventh inning. 
 
Israel Gandara scored the second run for Panhandle State after Juan Perez hit a sacrifice fly into center field in the top of the seventh inning. Determined to not go down without a fight, Jim Paredes lined a ball to center that wound up being caught to end the game.  
 
Game 2: Perez homered as the fourth hitter of the nightcap with one runner on base resulting in two runs scored, giving the Aggies an immediate 2-0 advantage.
 
Nelson also came out swinging in the bottom of the first with back-to-back doubles resulting in their first run of the game. Though the Panhandle State defense was solid, the hosts struck for four runs in the opening frame. 
 
The Aggies kept fighting hard at the plate, putting the ball in play and only going down on strikes four times in the final six innings. 
 
Nelson would go on to score six runs in the sixth frame to put the game out of reach and ultimately win the matchup, 15-2. 
 
What's up next: OPSU looks to bounce back in the series finale on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 12 noon.