Aggies finish second in LSC North

FINAL STATISTICS»

LAWTON, Okla. (May 1) – The Cameron University baseball team capped its most successful season in more than a decade on Sunday, wrapping up a three-game series with East Central.

Coach Todd Holland's Aggies dropped a 4-2 decision to the Tigers, but still finished the season alone in second place in the Lone Star Conference North Division standings. Cameron also recorded its second consecutive winning season under Holland, finishing with an overall record of 29-21 and 15-10 in Lone Star Conference North Division play.

Southeastern Oklahoma State dropped a 9-6 decision to seventh-ranked Central Oklahoma on Sunday, leaving the Aggies one game ahead of the Savages for the No. 2 spot in the division. UCO won the LSC North crown with a 20-5 record in divisional play.

Cameron entered Sunday's season finale chasing the team's first 30-win season since 1992, but East Central had other plans. Two Tiger pitchers combined to limit the high-octane Aggie offense to just eight hits in the nine-inning game and Cameron failed to cash in on several scoring opportunities throughout the game.

East Central (24-30, 9-16 LSC North) took the early lead with a run in the first and made it 3-0 with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fifth. The Aggies chipped away, getting a run on Rodney DeLong's fielder's choice grounder in the fifth and an RBI triple by Greg Patton in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2.

But that was all the offense the Aggies could muster against ECU starter Justin Graham, who went seven and two-thirds innings while scattering seven hits. Graham struck out four and walked three while working out of several jams.

Cameron's best scoring opportunity came in the second inning as Corey Stang, John Herbert and Patton opened the frame with three straight singles to load the bases. But Graham got Kenneth Cox to line into a double play and struck out DeLong to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Aggies left a total of eight runners on base in the game, including two in final inning against ECU reliever Noah Willard. Willard entered the game in the eighth and allowed just one hit to earn his first save of the season.

East Central picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double off the left field wall by Miguel Abreu. Patton opened the Aggie half of the ninth with a single through the left side and advanced to second on an ECU error, but Willard followed a walk to Trey Chambers by getting Matt Castillo to fly out to left field to end the game.

Dustin Henry (6-4) took the loss on the mound for the Aggies. The senior lefty allowed just one earned run on nine hits in 6.1 innings. He struck out four. Ryan Totte worked the final two and two-thirds innings for the Aggies, giving up one run on two hits.

Sunday's contest was the final game in an Aggie uniform for eight Cameron seniors. Cody Brooks, Brad Passmore, Rodney DeLong, Dustin Henry, Derrick Mihecoby, Eric Pilon, Corey Stang and Kenneth Cox were honored in pregame ceremonies at home plate.