OBU uses two big innings to down BU, 13-6, in championship game
Bruins end season at 40-17-2 ... No. 1-ranked Bison advance to NAIA World Series.
Box Score | Tournament Site
SHAWNEE, Okla. -- No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist University used two big innings to defeat the 18th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team, 13-6, Thursday evening in the NAIA Opening Round Shawnee Bracket championship game at Bison Field at Ford Park.
With the win, Oklahoma Baptist (53-7) advances to the 58th annual Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho on May 23-30.
Earlier in the day, Bellevue upset the Bison, 4-2, to force a second championship game. That victory snapped OBU's 22-game winning streak.
Bellevue ended its season with a 40-17-2 overall record.
Aaron Brasher and Tyler Blood each drove in a pair of runs for the Bruin offense.
The Bruins struck first scoring on a sacrifice fly by Brasher that allowed Nate Mullins to cross home plate in the top of the second.
BU took advantage of two wild pitches by Bison starting pitcher Jordan Morales and scored its second run of the game on a passed ball in the third inning.
The first six OBU batters reached base in the bottom half of the third as the Bison scored nine runs on six hits to take a 9-2 lead. Matt Page, Ivan Vela, Kevin Hatch and Mason Ankeney all registered RBI singles and the Bison also scored on a bases-loaded walk and an error.
The Bruins cut the deficit down to 9-4 in the fourth using a double by Brasher an RBI groundout by Blood.
Blood and Galli Cribbs recorded sixth inning RBI singles to trim OBU's lead down to three, 9-6.
Ridge Hoopii-Haslam's two-run single and a two run-double by Matt Page increased the Bison lead to 13-6 in the bottom of the seventh frame.
Ricky Holm, pitching on just two days rest, allowed seven runs on five hits in 2.1 innings of work and fell to 10-2.
Bellevue owns a 7-10 all-time record in the NAIA Opening Round since the format was adopted in 2009.
NAIA Championship Opening Round - Shawnee Bracket
Shawnee, Okla. | Bison Field at Ford Park
Monday, May 12
Game 1: Bacone def. Friends, 5-2
Tuesday, May 13
Game 2: Bellevue def. Northwestern (Iowa), 2-1
Game 3: Oklahoma Baptist def. Bacone, 10-3
Game 4: Northwestern (Iowa) def. Friends, 12-5
Wednesday, May 14
Game 5: Oklahoma Baptist def. Bellevue, 4-0
Game 6: Bacone def. Northwestern (Iowa), 2-0
Game 7: Bellevue def. Bacone, 2-1
Thursday, May 15 (Championship)
Game 8: Bellevue def. Oklahoma Baptist, 4-2
Game 9: Oklahoma Baptist def. Bellevue, 13-6