Aggie hitters rally for split with Baker

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LAWTON, Okla. (Feb. 21) - Cameron pounded out 19 hits on the day, including three homers, to salvage a double-header split with the NAIA's Baker University on Saturday. Cameron lost the first game 7-6, stranding the tying run at third in the final inning, but rallied to post an 8-6 win in the nightcap to improve to 4-2 overall.

Coach Todd Holland's crew will look to win the weekend series on Sunday with two more games scheduled against the Wildcats. First pitch is set for 11 a.m., at Cameron's McCord Field.

Baker (1-1) jumped out to an early lead in the second inning of Game 1 on Saturday. The Wildcats plated three runs in the second inning, capitalizing on two Cameron errors while adding three hits to take a 3-0 lead. The Aggies answered with two in the bottom of the second on a Steve Clark homer and scored two more in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Both teams scored twice in the fifth.

Trailing by one in the top of the seventh, Baker got a leadoff single by Justin Greiner. A groundout, a walk and an RBI single by Justin Quick later, the Wildcats had the score knotted at 6-6. Baker scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jason Patty.

Chris Balsiger led off the Aggie half of the seventh with a single to center field. Steve Clark's sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch moved Balsiger just 90 feet away from tying the game, but Baker reliever Kyle Metzger earned the save, forcing Aggie pinch hitter Trey Chambers into a game-ending ground out.

Brad Passmore took the loss on the mound, pitching the final two innings while allowing two earned runs on two hits. Starter Allen Mitchell went five full innings, striking out eight while allowing seven hits and four earned runs.

Baker again jumped out to an early lead in the second contest before the Aggie bats came alive. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Cameron posted six unanswered runs over the next two innings. Clark led off the second with his second homer of the day and after singles by Lawton products Rick Justice and Rodney DeLong, senior Mike Espinoza doubled into the gap in right center to tie the score.

Cameron posted three more runs in the third to take the lead. Cody Brooks led off with a double down the left field line, then stole third before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Balsiger. Justice, who ranked among the Lone Star Conference leaders in home runs last season, then belted his first round-tripper of the season, a solid shot over the left field wall that made it 6-3 Aggies.

Baker closed the gap with two runs in the fourth, but Cameron answered in the bottom half of the frame with RBI singles by Ben Wyckoff and Derrick Mihecoby. The Wildcats scored once more in the sixth and threatened with two runners on in the seventh, but Cameron reliever Derek Bennett shut the door. Bennett came on with two outs in the final inning and struck out the only batter he faced, to earn his first save of the season.