OKLAHOMA CITY – Peyton Crispin came through with a walk-off home run to boost Oklahoma City University past Texas Wesleyan 13-12 on Sunday at Jim Wade Stadium in the Sooner Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
The Stars, ranked fourth in the NAIA, advanced to the SAC Tournament title game against 10th-ranked Science & Arts at 1 p.m. Monday at Jim Wade Stadium. OCU (46-4) erased a six-run deficit on the way to victory Sunday.
Crispin, a senior from Lookeba, Okla., smashed a blast that cleared the right-center field wall beyond the 400-foot sign on a 3-0 offering down the middle of the zone with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Oklahoma City notched its fifth walk-off victory of the season. Crispin supplied a clutch two-run, two-out double to spark the Stars to a 5-4 win against Bethany (Kan.) on Feb. 20 at Jim Wade Stadium.
The Stars’ Noah Barks drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game 12-12 in the eighth. Kevin Santiago Zamora’s double gave Texas Wesleyan a 12-11 edge in the top of the eighth.
Braden Hill struck out two in the top of the ninth to give OCU a chance to rally in the bottom of the inning. Hill, a senior right-hander from Edmond, Okla., fanned four in 1.2 innings to grab the win. Tyler Polk came on in relief to work 4.2 innings with three strikeouts.
The Stars plated six runs in the seventh to even the score 11-11. Chad Pike powered OCU with a two-run double into right-center field followed by Felix Chenier-Rondeau's RBI single. Barks nailed a two-run double to left, and Darian Luper tripled to right-center to bring home Barks.
Texas Wesleyan scored five runs in the third to take the lead. Zamora touched off the big inning with a two-run shot to left. Marcos Sanchez had an RBI single to put the Rams on top 11-5 in the sixth.
Science & Arts 14, Wayland Baptist 7
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Science & Arts rallied past Wayland Baptist 14-7 on Sunday at Bill Smith Ballpark.
The Drovers (35-12) pushed across eight unanswered runs as Wayland Baptist’s 7-5 fifth-inning lead evaporated.
Arthur Disla nailed a two-run homer to put Wayland Baptist in front in the fifth. Science & Arts responded with six runs in the sixth.
Brandon Shumway pounded a solo shot to start Science & Arts’ rally. Joey Pena’s RBI base hit tied the game, then Gage Gaunt doubled in two more runs to provide the Drovers a 9-7 advantage.
Gabriel Arroyo and Luis Pelayo punctuated Science & Arts’ victory with home runs in the final two innings. Brett Lorah nabbed the win in relief.