Box Score
EDMOND (Feb. 24) – Andrew Foshee's run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning vaulted error-plagued Central Oklahoma past Missouri Southern 6-5 Tuesday afternoon at Broncho Field.
Foshee's line-drive scored Jason Monko from second base to break a 5-5 tie as the Bronchos overcame six errors in handing head coach Wendell Simmons his 599th career win at UCO. Monko led off the ninth with a single and went to second on a balk before coming around to barely beat the throw home on Foshee's hit to left field.
The Bronchos improved to 6-7 on the year and will return to Lone Star Conference action Friday when they go to Ada to face East Central for a 12 p.m. doubleheader. Those same two teams will square off in another doubleheader at 12 p.m. Saturday in Edmond.
“We tried to give it away with all the errors and other mistakes we made,” said Simmons, now 599-324-1 in his 18th year at the UCO helm. “We got good pitching and really should have been in control of the game, but we kept them in it. Fortunately, we did what we needed to do to win it at the end.”
Four pitchers saw action for the Bronchos, with Clint Straka giving up one hit and two unearned runs in the first 2 1/3 innings before leaving with an injury. Brian Murphy allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings and Ryan Wagner one hit and three unearned runs in two frames before Brent Miller came on to pitch the final three innings.
He gave up two hits the rest of the way and picked up his first win of the season with Foshee's last-inning heroics.
UCO turned four hits and an error into a 3-0 lead in the third. Foshee, Casey Bruns and Luke Yost had consecutive hits to start the inning, with Foshee and Bruns both scoring when MSSU's pitcher threw the ball away on Yost's bunt.
John Bryant was hit by pitch and Brent Hodge had a bunt single to load the bases and Yost made it 3-0 when he scored on Blake Mitchell's fielder's choice.
The Lions came back with two unearned runs in the third and UCO got one of those back in the fourth on Nate Mitani's run-scoring groundout that scored Hodge, who had opened the inning with a single.
MSSU cut it 4-3 in the fifth and then took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth with two more unearned runs before the Bronchos came back to tie it in the bottom of that inning. Hodge again led off with a base hit, then went to second on Patrick Simon's sacrifice bunt and to third on Mitchell's bunt single before scoring on Mitani's sacrifice fly.
It stayed that way until the ninth, with Monko and Foshee teamed up to give UCO the win.
Foshee and Hodge had three hits apiece to lead the Bronchos.
