Tahlequah, Okla. – Northeastern State took game two of the three game series Saturday afternoon, defeating Southwest Baptist 6-5 in the 9
th inning. SBU falls to 10-19 (4-13 MIAA) on the year.
With an 0-2 count,
Caleb Sneed led off the game with an infield single to third base. The Riverhawks struck first, scoring 1 run in the first inning. Southwest Baptist responded, scoring 3 of their own in the 2
nd.
Jackson Soule started the inning with a walk. He stole second in the next at-bat, advancing the third on a throwing error by the NSU catcher. Sam Avila also drew a walk, putting runners on first and third. As the next batter struck out, Avila stole second and advanced to third on an error by the 2
nd baseman, allowing Soule to score as well. After a second out,
Tyler Mathys smashed a two-run home run to give SBU a 3-1 lead.
Kyle Smith sat down the next three batters in order, getting two ground outs and a strikeout.
Tyler Mathys led off the 5
th inning with a double to right field.
Caleb Sneed followed with a single to right center, putting runners on first and third for
Carl Schwettmann. NSU was able to turn a double play, but Mathys scored, extending the Bearcat lead to 4-1. Smith and the Bearcat defense kept rolling, not allowing another run through 8 innings.
In the top of the 9
th, Sam Avila walked to begin the inning with a base runner.
Brett Mitchell moved him over with a sacrifice bunt, and Avila later stole third after a strikeout.
Tyler Mathys picked up another hit and another RBI, driving in Avila with a single through the left side, building SBU's lead to 5-1. Northeastern was down, but they weren't out. The Riverhawks bounced back, scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 9
th to take game two of the series with a score of 6-5.
Caleb Sneed extended his hitting streak to 19 games, going 2-5 on the afternoon.
Tyler Mathys went 3-4, collecting a home run and a double along with 3 RBIs.
Hunter Hisky was the other Bearcat with multiple hits, going 2-4 at the plate.
Kyle Smith had an outstanding pitching performance, going 7.1 innings, giving up just 1 run on 9 hits.
The final game of the series is set to begin on Sunday at 1 PM.