Garcias Walk-Off Single Caps Thrilling Comeback in Nightcap
March 20, 2026
GOODWELL, Okla. Trailing 8-4 past the midway mark of the nightcap, it appeared as though the Oklahoma Panhandle State baseball team (10-16, 3-11) was going to be on the wrong side of a doubleheader sweep Friday at the hands of Central Christian College (13-15, 8-6) after dropping the opener, 15-9. The vibes at Carroll Gribble Field quickly shifted, however, as the Aggies came all the way back, erasing a 9-7 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh and putting an exclamation point on a 10-9 win with a sharp, walk-off single to left from David Garcia.
Game 1: Starter Adam Hinojosa struck out five Tigers through two innings in what was a low-scoring affair early, but Central Christian got rolling in the third frame and never looked back.
The Tigers put up crooked numbers in four straight innings, putting the game out of reach. They forced the Aggie pitching staff into throwing 211 pitches in a marathon, three-hour, 19-minute contest, taking a 15-4 lead through six frames.
OPSU, which scored one run apiece in the third-through-sixth innings, managed to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh.
In the final inning, three Aggies walked, setting up a one-out sacrifice fly from Neugyen Culmer. Kobe Morgan and Alejandro Hernandez then walked in runs, and Genesis Nunez drove in a pair on a single as CCCK went through three pitchers in the frame. The threat ended, however, on a lineout from Juan Perez, which was inches away from getting past the third baseman and extending the rally.
Nunez, Julian Payan and Culmer each had multi-hit games for OPSU, while Andrew Valencia made his debut on the mound in the seventh and tossed a scoreless inning, striking out the side.
Game 2:Miguel Montano toed the rubber in the nightcap, putting up a pair of zeroes to start the game while the home team's lineup got to work.
Payan and Culmer continued their strong day at the plate with an RBI double and a two-run homer, respectively, giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead through two frames.
Central Christian got all the runs back on a three-run shot in the third, but Perez singled in Nunez in the bottom of that frame to hand Panhandle State a 4-3 edge.
The 4-3 OPSU lead held until the top of the fifth, when the Tigers hit for the cycle in the inning and grabbed a commanding 8-4 advantage.
Hernandez homered in the fifth, and Garcia hit a two-run home run in the sixth to bring the Aggies within one, 8-7 heading to the seventh. A solo homer from the Tigers kept them in front by two with one half-inning to play.
The rally began immediately for OPSU as Hernandez, Nunez, Perez, Payan and Jackson Somerville each walked, tying the game at 9-9 with only one out. After a popout, Garcia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and laced the first pitch he saw to left that scored Michael Perry for the game winner as Garcia'steammates rushed from the dugout and chased him down rounding first base.
Garcia's homer earlier in the game marked the 10th of his career, and he drove in a team-high three runs. Matao Laguna (3-2) earned the win in relief, tossing the final three frames and striking out two Tigers.
What'sup next:OPSUgoes for its first series win of the SAC season when it returns to Carroll Gribble Field on Saturday at 12 noon.
Game 1: Starter Adam Hinojosa struck out five Tigers through two innings in what was a low-scoring affair early, but Central Christian got rolling in the third frame and never looked back.
The Tigers put up crooked numbers in four straight innings, putting the game out of reach. They forced the Aggie pitching staff into throwing 211 pitches in a marathon, three-hour, 19-minute contest, taking a 15-4 lead through six frames.
OPSU, which scored one run apiece in the third-through-sixth innings, managed to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh.
In the final inning, three Aggies walked, setting up a one-out sacrifice fly from Neugyen Culmer. Kobe Morgan and Alejandro Hernandez then walked in runs, and Genesis Nunez drove in a pair on a single as CCCK went through three pitchers in the frame. The threat ended, however, on a lineout from Juan Perez, which was inches away from getting past the third baseman and extending the rally.
Nunez, Julian Payan and Culmer each had multi-hit games for OPSU, while Andrew Valencia made his debut on the mound in the seventh and tossed a scoreless inning, striking out the side.
Game 2:Miguel Montano toed the rubber in the nightcap, putting up a pair of zeroes to start the game while the home team's lineup got to work.
Payan and Culmer continued their strong day at the plate with an RBI double and a two-run homer, respectively, giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead through two frames.
Central Christian got all the runs back on a three-run shot in the third, but Perez singled in Nunez in the bottom of that frame to hand Panhandle State a 4-3 edge.
The 4-3 OPSU lead held until the top of the fifth, when the Tigers hit for the cycle in the inning and grabbed a commanding 8-4 advantage.
Hernandez homered in the fifth, and Garcia hit a two-run home run in the sixth to bring the Aggies within one, 8-7 heading to the seventh. A solo homer from the Tigers kept them in front by two with one half-inning to play.
The rally began immediately for OPSU as Hernandez, Nunez, Perez, Payan and Jackson Somerville each walked, tying the game at 9-9 with only one out. After a popout, Garcia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and laced the first pitch he saw to left that scored Michael Perry for the game winner as Garcia'steammates rushed from the dugout and chased him down rounding first base.
Garcia's homer earlier in the game marked the 10th of his career, and he drove in a team-high three runs. Matao Laguna (3-2) earned the win in relief, tossing the final three frames and striking out two Tigers.
What'sup next:OPSUgoes for its first series win of the SAC season when it returns to Carroll Gribble Field on Saturday at 12 noon.
