OLLU Bests Drovers at the Plate

**Author**: Preston Palm, Contributing Writer The first game Saturday afternoon opened with the Bulldogs sending a solo homerun over the fence in the bottom of the first inning. McPherson had failed to hold momentum, as the Drovers evened the score at 1-1 going into the second inning. The score stayed even at 1-1 until the third inning, which saw three runs total, two from USAO and one from McPherson: - McPherson hit a single to take the 2-1 lead - Peyton McDowell hit a two-run homerun giving USAO the 3-2 lead The fourth inning was where the Drovers found their rhythm. USAO scored six runs in the fourth inning alone, giving the Drovers a 9-2 lead. It had felt like the Drovers had taken complete control. That wasn't quite the case. The Bulldogs climbed back slowly, and tensions were rising at Bill Smith Ballpark: - **Fifth inning**: McPherson scored three runs cutting the lead to four runs (9-5 USAO) - **Sixth inning**: McPherson scored another three runs (9-8 USAO) This is where the game gets weird. McPherson ties the game at 9-9, off of a run that came with a very, very controversial call by the umpire. The controversial call paused the game for upwards of ten to 15 minutes. After the umpires settled everything and resumed play, the Bulldogs had all the momentum and used it to win the first game of the day 14-9. - **McDowall**: 3-5, scoring two runs and four runs batted in - **Nick Fleckenstein**: 2-5, including a run and a walk - **Singles**: Christopher Martinez, Gabriel Arroyo, Gunnar Hansen, Gage Gaunt, and Ryan Duncan USAO was looking to get back in the second game, and that's precisely what they did. The Drovers scored two runs in the first inning: - First run: Double from Martinez, which led to Fleckenstein crossing home plate - Second run: Single by Gaunt, which led to Martinez coming home - Score stayed at 2-0 until the fifth inning - **Fifth inning**: McDowall flew out to center field for a sac fly that led to Arroyo scoring - **Sixth inning**: McPherson scored their lone run - **Second inning**: Four runs scored by the Drovers (beatdown began) - **Third inning**: One run scored - **Fourth inning**: Seven runs scored by USAO (12-0 total) - **Sixth inning**: McPherson scored three runs - **Seventh inning**: McPherson scored three more runs - **Final**: Game called early due to mercy rule (USAO 17, McPherson 6) - **Reed Butz**: Struck out six batters in six innings - **Team Statistics**: 16 hits, nine players contributed runs to the team total of 17, six players had multiple runs **Upcoming Schedule**: - **Tuesday, February 28th**: at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (2 p.m.) - **Friday, March 3rd**: Conference play begins with three-game series at Southwestern Assemblies of God University - **USAO Ranking**: #19 nationally - **Series Record**: USAO 2-1 (won series) - **Game Results**: - Game 1: McPherson 14, USAO 9 (controversial finish) - Game 2: USAO 4, McPherson 1 (bounce-back win) - Game 3: USAO 17, McPherson 6 (mercy rule) - **Venue**: Bill Smith Ballpark