UCO, Rams Split Twinbill

4/9/2011 7:27:28 PM

Tyler Hancock

Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

SAN ANGELO, Texas (April 9) – Keegan Morrow drove in three runs during a late-inning outburst that sparked Central Oklahoma to a first-game romp before Angelo State rallied for a one-run victory in the nightcap as the two teams split a Lone Star Conference doubleheader here Saturday afternoon.

Morrow had two RBI in a three-run sixth that gave the Bronchos an 8-4 lead and added a run-scoring single in a five-run seventh that put UCO in charge en route to a 13-5 victory, but the Rams scored four runs in their final two at bats to claim a 7-6 second-game win and avoid the sweep.

The Bronchos lost the league series 2-1 in falling to 14-22 overall and 8-19 in the LSC. ASU improved to 20-18 and 14-13.

“Today was another dogfight,” UCO coach Dax Leone said. “This was our sixth one-run loss in conference, which tells me our guys are in position to win, but we're just not quite there. I was really proud of the how hard we played today, our guys showed the toughness that we've been preaching since August.”

UCO banged out 16 hits in the opener, led by a 4-for-4, three-RBI outing by Tyler Hancock. Morrow, Kevin Blue, Kade Kauk, Mac Gordon and Jordan Mullin had two hits apiece for the Bronchos, while Jake Tuck picked up the pitching win in relief, giving up three hits and one run in four innings.

Hancock's two-run home run gave UCO a 3-1 lead in the third and the Bronchos went up 5-2 in the fourth on Mullin's two-run double, but ASU came back with two runs in their half of that inning to pull within 5-4.

Morrow's two-run double and Hancock's RBI single pushed UCO's lead to 8-4 in the sixth and the Bronchos put the game away with their five-run seventh.

Mullin drove in two runs with a single up the middle, while Morrow added a run-scoring single and Tucker Brown a sacrifice fly as UCO upped its lead to 13-5 before cruising in.

Gordon had an RBI double in the second inning to help stake the Bronchos to an early 2-0 lead in the nightcap, but ASU tied it in the bottom of the second and then went ahead 3-2 in the third. Mullin's run-scoring double tied it at 3-all in the fourth and UCO used a three-run volley in the fifth to go up 6-3.

Kevin Blue had the big hit in that inning with a two-run single up the middle, but the Rams got a run back in the seventh to make it 6-4 and then went ahead with a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

UCO got singles from Derik Grimes and Morrow in putting runners on first and second with one out in the top of the ninth, but a double play ended the inning and handed ASU the win.

The Bronchos don't play again until hosting Tarleton State for a three-game LSC series next weekend.

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