ABOUT-FACE: OKWU baseball snaps back to winning track
Like a steam-pressed elephant, Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s baseball team can only hope they’ve ironed out their wrinkles after last weekend’s pounding of Avila (Mo.).
OKWU (24-7, 11-4) flattened Avila, 19-4, 12-2 and 8-0, in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Coming into the series, OKWU had struggled through a 1-3 stretch.
The Eagles — who are ranked No. 13 in the nation (NAIA) close out March with a home game Tuesday afternoon against Southwestern Christian, and a road series in Lindsborg, Kan., at Bethany College.
OKWU is dealing with its first major adversity of the season, in the injury loss of its best-performing starting pitcher Kellen Brothers. Through eight starts, Brothers owned a 6-0 record, an 0.91 earned run averaged, 49.1 innings, 53 strikeouts and 10 walks.
Kirk Kelley is the seventh-year head coach of the Eagles.
Following are summaries of last weekend’s wins against Avila.
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OKWU 19, AVILA 4
The Eagles swirled to an 8-0 lead in the first inning and pulled away.
Josh Logan lashed two homers and drove in three runs to provide the power supply at the No. 2 hole.
D’Arius Council tacked on a homer, single and two RBIs, while Jordyn Smith smacked a solo homer and two singles.
Tommy Davis, Derek Ray and and Jesus Rojas delivered a double apiece; Davis contributed three RBIs while Rojas plated one run.
Davis and Logan tied with the most RBIs (three) followed by Manon, Marcus Randall and Council with two apiece.
Noah Adams helped keep the offense at high tide with three hits and two runs scored.
The Eagle offense thundered out 21 hits, with 12 different players contributing.
Evan Foor started on the bump for OKWU and scattered five hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He allowed two earned runs (plus one unearned) and whiffed five batters.
Klayton Coffman and Cade McCollum each checked in with short relief stint.
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OKWU 12, AVILA 2
The Eagles finally put the game away with four runs in the sixth inning.
Manon and Gerdes brought the big guns — Gerdes with two doubles and four RBIs, and Manon with two singles and four RBIs.
Also slamming multiple hits each were Tommy Davis (3) and Drenis Ozuna (2).
Rojas and Manon also socked a sacrifice fly apiece.
Eagle batters struck out only three times.
Michael Mendoza worked six innings on the bump and gave up four hits, one run and three walks. He struck out six hitters.
Nate Vigil and Coffman combined to work the final inning.
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OKWU 8, AVILA 0
Carson Frazier sparkled on the mound, throwing four innings of shutout ball with one hit, three walks and five strikeouts.
Tyler Benefiel and Erick Nova each worked in relief.
Rojas launched OKWU’s only homer of the weekend and recorded two RBIs.
Ozuna and Adams each belted two hits, a double and a triple, respectively.
Adams, Manon, Ray, Gerdes and Ozuna each amassed a RBI.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma Wesleyan University brooms Avila on diamond
