OCU Athletics
Christopher Maple, Assistant Sports Information Director
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University’s Tyler Williams and Bryson Lierle hit walk off home runs as the Stars soar past Central Methodist 5-4 in eighth innings and rallies back against Texas A&M-Texarkana winning 5-2 on Sunday at Jim Wade Stadium.
OCU, ranked eighth in the NAIA, improved to 10-1 on the season while No. 21 Central Methodist falls to 6-3 and Texas A&M-Texarkana drops to 5-7. Lierle, a junior from Altus, Okla., goes 2-for-6 on the day driving in four.
Central Methodist gets out front in the fourth after a leadoff single by Julio Canales, who comes around to score three batters later on a Logan Haring single through the right side. CMU stretched out their lead to 4-0 in the sixth a leadoff single by Sergio Macias, who scored off a Haring triple to right center. Edward Nunez-Belte come on to run for Haring and scored on a throwing error by the Quinton Walbergh. Z Westley then drove in by Riley Richarz.
Tristan Williams, a freshman from Southlake, Texas, led off the Stars sixth inning with a single back through the box, then scored after the bases are loaded and Ty. Williams beat out the throw to first on a double play attempt by CMU to cut the lead to 4-1.
To start the seventh Peyton Crispin is walk ed and then ran for by Joseph Garza who came home on a Lierle double to deep center field. Grant Harrison came in to run for Lierle and scored on a Noah Barks single to center. Jared Hazeldine scored on the second broken up double play by OCU, this time Walbergh dove head first into first base just beating the throw over by CMU’s second baseman, tying the game at 4-4 to force extra innings. Stars’ Tyler Milligan, a senior from Binger, Okla., comes in and strikes out the first for Eagles he faces in the sixth and seventh innings.
In the eighth inning T. Milligan allows the first two batters to get on and head coach Denney Crabaugh decided to go to the bullpen bringing in Chris Goldston. C. Goldston, a freshman from Leedey, Okla., gets Damian Rodriquez to ground into a 4-6-3 double play and then closes stops Central Methodist’s rally getting Richarz to fly out to center. Ty. Williams comes to the plate to start the eighth for OCU then unloads on the 1-2 pitch from CMU’s Tyler Robbins down the right field line. Barks, a freshman from Mustang, Okla., produced a 3-of-4 game with an RBI, while Ty. Williams goes 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run.
In the second game. Oklahoma City’s Dylan Grove and Kolin Marley combine to throw a no hitter, Grove, a senior from Moore, Okla., goes 5.0 innings fanning four and gives up an unearned run, while K. Marley, a junior from Norman, Okla., comes in and records his first win of the season throwing the final 2.0 innings and strikes out one.
Texas A&M-Texarkana gets out front in the fourth after Grove hits Brayden Cook, who is advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moves up to third after a failed pickoff that Grove throws into center field. Cook scores on a broken up double play that Jake MacDonald reaches on for TAMUT.
The Stars answer right back in the bottom of the fourth when Ty. Williams leads off with a triple over the head of the right fielder and scores on a Caleb Davis sacrifice fly to left field to tie the game at 1-1.
Texas A&M-Texarkana gets another run in the sixth when Cook starts off by getting hit by a K. Marley pitch. Cook moves around the bases, getting to second on a walk to Cole Chambers, then steals third and scores when Tye Holliday reaches on a muffed throw by the Lierle to put TAMUT up 2-1.
OCU rallies back in the bottom of the seventh with the top of the order. Barks leads off with a line drive back up the box, Elliott Cary singles to shallow left and Davis reaches on a fielding error by the Eagles shortstop, who then throws the ball over the first jumping first baseman to allow Barks to touch the plate to tie it at 2-2. The Stars’ Lierle launches the 0-2 pitch over the scoreboard in right for the walk off 3-run homerun.
Oklahoma City return to action next weekend hosting MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Friday at 3 p.m.