CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M Buffaloes help a 10-1 lead going to the sixth inning on Friday afternoon before Oklahoma Christian battled back to take the Lone Star Conference series opener, 14-11 at Wilder Park in Canyon.
 
West Texas A&M took control in the third inning when Timothy Haynes hit a grand slam down the left-field line, bringing home Will Franklin, Jake Alwine, and Jacob Police for the 4-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Ronan Hella extended the lead with a two-run home run to left field, scoring Luis Reyes. Police then singled up the middle, driving in Anthony Picciano and bringing the score to 7-0.
 
The fifth inning saw Reyes and Hella each contribute with RBI singles, while a hit-by-pitch allowed Hella to score, increasing the Buffs' lead to 10-1. Oklahoma Christian responded with a significant push in the sixth inning, capitalizing on fielding errors and timely hits to score eight runs, narrowing the gap to 10-9.
 
West Texas A&M maintained its lead through the seventh and eighth innings, with no further scoring from either side. In the ninth inning, Oklahoma Christian surged ahead with five runs, highlighted by a triple and several singles, taking a 14-10 lead. The Buffs scored once more as Haynes singled through the left side, bringing in Alwine, but it was not enough to close the gap with OC winning 14-11.
 
Bryan Raitz claimed the loss (2-1) for the Buffs, allowing five runs (one earned) on six hits with no walks and a strikeout in his one inning of work.
 
The Buffs and Eagles return to the diamond on Saturday with first pitch of a doubleheader set for 2:00 p.m.