Box Score Edmond, Okla. – The Southwest Baptist University baseball team fell in a high scoring affair at Central Oklahoma on Friday 22-20. With the loss, SBU drops to 4-4 (0-1 MIAA) on the season.

The scoring started early for both teams as UCO took a 3-0 lead after an inning of play. The Bearcats responded in the top of the second when Jeff Bouchard led the inning off with a double down the left field line and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly from Trevor Bowling to put SBU on the scoreboard.

SBU took their first lead of the game in the top of the third as Hunter Hisky reached on an error to start the inning off and advanced to second on a groundout two batters later. Sean Murley then singled through the right side to score Hisky before the Bearcats loaded the bases. Cody Massey hit a bases clearing double to give the Bearcats a 5-3 lead. UCO responded in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of their own as SBU trailed 7-5 heading into the fourth inning.

The Bearcats answered right back in the top of the fourth with singles from Carter Sherban and Caleb Sneed to put runners on the corners with two outs. Christian Binger then hit an rbi single to center field as SBU trailed 7-6. After holding UCO scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, SBU once again re-took the lead in the top of the fifth. Bouchard led the inning off by reaching on a wild pitch, and after a Massey walk Bowling blasted a three-run homerun to center to put SBU up 9-7. Sherban then followed up Bowling's homerun with a homer of his own to extend SBU's lead to 10-7.

Central Oklahoma responded with seven runs in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 14-10 lead, but SBU bounced right back in the top of the sixth. With two outs in the inning, Bouchard doubled to right center, Chance Wolfe reach on an error, and Massey walked to load the bases. Bouchard would come home on a Broncho error, followed by a grand slam by Sherban to put SBU up 15-14.

UCO came back to score runs in the sixth and seventh, as SBU trailed 16-15, before the Bearcats re-took the lead in the top of the eighth. Wolfe and Bowling both drew walks, and advanced on a UCO wild pitch, before a sacrifice fly by Sherban tied the game at 16-16. Hisky then hit a two-run homerun to put SBU up 18-16. After a scoreless eighth, UCO tied the game up in the bottom of the ninth, forcing extra innings.

In the top of the tenth Bowling led the inning off with a double to left field, and after a strikeout, Hisky hit an rbi single to left field to put SBU ahead 19-18. After a Binger walk to load the bases, Murley hit a sacrifice fly giving SBU a 20-18 lead. However, UCO would answer back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs as the Bearcats would fall 22-20.

Jeff Bouchard and Carter Sherban led the Bearcats with three hits a piece on the afternoon, while Sherban, Trevor Bowling, and Hunter Hisky all hit homeruns. Sherban had a team high 6 rbi, while every Bearcat in the starting lineup recorded a hit.

SBU will return to action on Saturday, February 27 when they play Central Oklahoma in game two of the three game series. Opening pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. from Edmond, Oklahoma.