Aggies take control of LSC North race
UPDATED STATISTICS»
DURANT, Okla. (April 5) - Cameron got on top early, scoring a combined 10 runs in the first innings of a Lone Star Conference North Division baseball doubleheader at Southeastern Oklahoma State Wednesday. The result was a pair of wins that put the Aggies alone at the top of the LSC North standings.
Coach Todd Holland's squad posted wins of 8-5 and 9-3 over the Savages, improving to 21-15 overall and 6-1 in league play. The Aggies, who have won 13 of their last 15 games, return home this weekend to continue divisional play with a three-game series against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Action begins with a Saturday doubleheader at 2 p.m., followed by a single nine-inning contest on Sunday at 1.
Wednesday's wins were due largely to a strong start by the Aggies in both games. Cameron capitalized on an SOSU error and added four hits to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the opener. In the second game, the Aggies used four more hits and another Southeastern miscue to hang six runs on the Savages in the first.
Southeastern mounted a comeback in Game 1, scoring once in the second and plating three more runs in the fourth to knot the game at 4-4.
But the Aggies posted another four-run inning, this time in the fifth to regain command. Back-to-back walks to open the inning were followed by another SOSU error that scored a run and Greg Patton picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice that failed to record an out. A balk by Savage pitcher Jordan Semore then put runners at second and third and the Aggies converted, getting sacrifice flies by Mark Armstrong and Josh Mathiesen. The result was an 8-4 Aggie lead at the end of an inning in which Cameron scored four runs without recording a single hit.
Southeastern managed another run off Cameron starter Kacy Groves in the bottom of the sixth, but L.J. Willis came on in relief and got Daniel Hoegh to ground into a double play before striking out Erik Hughes to end the threat. Ryan Bengert worked the seventh for the Aggies, allowing two hits, but holding the Savages scoreless to earn his fourth save of the season.
The Aggies jumped out to another big lead in Game 2. Mathiesen and Matt Machinski had the big hits in the first inning for the Aggies, each picking up a pair of RBI. Patton and John Herbert got things started with run-scoring hits in the frame before Mathiesen singled in two more and Machinski made it a 6-0 game with a two-run double to left.
But unlike the first contest, Southeastern had no answer for Cameron's early rally. Ryan Totte scattered seven hits and struck out three while tossing his third complete game of the season for the Aggies. The Savages pushed across one run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Mason Parham and scored two more in the sixth, but only after Waylon Pettet's two-run double in the top of the sixth had put the Aggies up 8-1.
Cameron added one more run in the seventh when Patton reached on an infield single and scored on a Machinski double.
Totte improved to 4-2 with the Game 2 win, while Groves picked up the victory in the first contest despite allowing 13 hits to move to 6-4. Patton and Machinski each had three hits in the nightcap, with Machinski finishing the day 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBI.
