Box ScoreSeason StatsWEATHERFORD, Okla. – Five games played. Five games decided by one run as the West Texas A&M baseball team responded with a 9-8, victory Tuesday afternoon at Southwestern Oklahoma State in 10 innings. With the win, WT improved to 3-2 on the year, while SWOSU dropped its home-opener and fell to 2-5 on the year.
WT loaded the bases in the top of the 10
th and used a sacrifice fly from junior
Trace Hansen for the game winner. The Buffs banged out a season-high 14 hits in the game and scored a season-high nine runs. WT improved to 24-28 all-time in extra-inning games and 1-1 this season, while WT seventh year head coach
Matt Vanderburg won his 13
th extra-inning game and now is 13-15 at WT in extras. The Buffs swept the season series with SWOSU 3-0 and now are 16-23 all-time against the Bulldogs.
For the game, three Buffs had three hits each as the bats came alive. Junior
Mason Shiflett was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a RBI, while junior
Josh Day was 3 of 4 with a run scored and three RBI to lead the team. Junior
Matt Cole also was 3 for 4 with a run scored.
SWOSU was led by Zach Barton who was 2 of 5 with three RBI, while Cole Wagner was 3 of 5 with a RBI. The Bulldogs also belted out 14 hits in the game.
The Buffs used six pitchers in the contest as junior
Justin McAllister (1-0) registered his first win as a Buff in three innings of relief work. He allowed just one hit and fanned three, while senior
Sean Michel picked up his second save of the year. SWOSU also used six pitchers as Austin Hilton (0-1) took the loss in three innings of work, allowing one hit, one earned run, with one walk and he fanned three.
The Buffs opened the scoring in the top of the first as they plated five runs on one hit. The inning began by a pair of walks from SWOSU starting pitcher Sawyer Barnard and a hit batsman loaded the bases with nobody out. The third walk by Barnard plated the first run. Following a pitching change, WT scored its second run with the fourth walk issued by the Bulldogs. From there, Day hit a bases-clearing double for a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the frame, WT returned the favor and walked the first batter and then, with one out, Korbin Polston doubled down the left field line for a 5-1 score and a wild pitch plated the second run. WT also made a change at pitcher in the first inning as junior
Tyler Almager relieved junior starter
Luke Wiechec with two away in the inning. Almager got the final out as the Bulldogs left the bases full.
SWOSU in the bottom of the second got a one out single up the middle and two wild pitches put the Bulldogs in scoring position with two away. A hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases once again for the Bulldogs. Zach Barton singled up the middle plating two runs for a 5-4 score and runners at the corners. Bryan Holt tied the game with a RBI single to right for the third run of the inning. Almager got out of the jam without any further damage with a strikeout.
Redshirt junior
Kyle Tinius relieved Almager at the beginning of the third and retired four-straight into the fourth. Tinius plunked Polston, who was hit for the second time in the game, and Barton came up with his second RBI giving the Bulldogs their first lead following a passed ball at 6-5. Tinius got his second strikeout of the inning to end the frame.
Down 6-5, the 3,4,5 portion of the WT order came to bat in the fifth looking to regain the lead as SWOSU used its third pitcher of the game in Ben Schweifurth. With two away, Shiflett tripled to left center for the fourth WT hit of the game. It went for not as WT couldn't bring Shiflett in with a pop out to short to end the threat.
Senior
Dylan Dyson began the sixth with a single to center, followed by a sacrifice bunt moving him to second. Cole singled and advanced to second on the throw and Dyson to third with one out. Senior
Ryan March grounded out to first, but scored Dyson to tie the game at six, ending the 6-0 run by SWOSU. Hansen singled to left plating Cole as WT regained the lead 7-6.
WT put runners at the corners with one out in the seventh on singles by Shiflett and junior
Aaron De La Paz. SWOSU went to the bullpen in favor of Kent Callison replacing Schweifurth. Pinch hitter, senior
Aaron Blair, hit a sacrifice fly to left for an 8-6 lead. SWOSU went to the bullpen, once again, after a single by Day putting two on with two out. Cole singled to right, but a great throw from Polston in right gunned down De La Paz at the plate for the third out.
Sophomore
Jamie Boyd relieved Tinius in the bottom of the seventh as Tinius went four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts. Holt began the frame with a double to right center, followed by a RBI single for an 8-7 WT lead. A sacrifice bunt moved the tying run to second with one out. Cole Wagner tied the game with RBI single down the right field line at 8-8. WT went to the bullpen in favor of junior
Justin McAllister as he became the fifth WT hurler of the game. A fielder's choice at second got the second out and McAllister got a fly out to center to end the inning.
March was plunked by the pitch to begin the top of the eighth as SWOSU went to the bullpen in favor of Austin Hilton. Hansen hit a sacrifice bunt moving March to second with one away. March was thrown out at third trying to steal for the second out. A strikeout followed sending the game to the bottom of the eighth.
Polston was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game to begin the bottom of the eighth. McAllister got the "strike 'em out, throw 'em out" to end the inning as Barton struck out looking and Polston was gunned down at second trying to steal.
Shiflett singled to right with one out in the ninth for the Buffs. It was his team-leading third hit of the game. A double play ended the inning, sending the game to the bottom of the ninth tied at eight.
WT loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10
th by the bottom third of the order on a bunt single by Day, followed by a single by Cole and an intentional walk to March. Hansen hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 9-8 lead heading into the bottom of the 10
th.
Senior closer
Sean Michel came into the game in the 10
th to close it out with one away. SWOSU put the tying run at first with a single up the middle. A fielder's choice pulled WT within one out of the win and Michel got the third out with a fielder's choice for his second save of the season.
WT continues on the road as it travels to Edmond, Okla., to play three games against Oklahoma Christian with a doubleheader Friday and a single game Saturday, followed by a neutral site game against NAIA foe Dakota State at OCU. Fans can access live stats and potential streaming links by logging on to
www.gobuffsgo.com and clicking on the baseball schedule page.
