FORT WORTH, Texas - The Rams kicked off the 2003 season on Tuesday afternoon with a double-header at LaGrave Field against a formidable opponent. The Oklahoma City University Stars finished the 2002 regular season as the #1 NAIA school in the country, and eventually lost in the national championship game. They began the 2003 season as the NAIA’s second-ranked team, and came to Fort Worth on Tuesday morning with a 2-0 record. They left on Tuesday night at 2-1-1.

The Rams won the first game 2-1, then rallied to tie the second game at 10 before play was halted due to darkness.

Oklahoma City right-fielder Ben Himes opened the scoring in the first game with a home run in the second inning, giving the Stars an early 1-0 lead. Wesleyan’s Aaron Ellis countered in the bottom of the fourth, driving a fastball over the left-field fence for the Rams’ first homer of the season. In the sixth, with the score still 1-1, Nathan Murrell singled home Jeremy Craft, giving the Rams a lead heading into the last inning. After surrendering a leadoff double, Wesleyan closer Bryant Wilson shut the Stars down, picking up his first save of the season. Seth Manning grabbed the win, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Andy Hughes, who allowed one run in 4.1 innings of work.

In game two, the Rams jumped ahead quickly on a pair of solo home runs. Ellis connected for a carbon copy of his game one blast in the first inning, and catcher Matt Putman drilled a 2-1 fastball over the 400-foot centerfield fence in the second. The Stars managed to tie the score in the top of the third on a two-out, two-run single, then took the lead an inning later on a solo blast to center by Dave Marlett and a two-run shot to right by Brandon Kaye.

The Rams came right back to score a pair in the bottom of the inning, though, when right fielder Billy Eaton’s flare to right fell in safely. Oklahoma City scored on a passed ball in the sixth to extended the lead to 6-4, but Wesleyan tied it up in the bottom of the sixth on a clutch two-out, two-run, pinch-hit single up the middle by Andy Hughes.

Neither team scored in the seventh - the final inning of regulation in double-header games - and the teams headed to extra innings. After a scoreless eighth, the offense came to life for both teams in the ninth. Oklahoma City scored four times to jump out to a commanding 10-6 lead. Pinch-hitter Mike Epping laced a bases-loaded double into the gap in left-center, plating three runs, then scored when a two-out infield pop-up fell untouched by the Ram defenders. But the Rams came right back with four runs of their own. Third-baseman Derek Armstrong led off with a line-drive shot over the left-field fence, Murrell plated another with a single, and two-more runs scored when the Oklahoma City defense misplayed a shot into right field.

Realizing that darkness would not permit them to finish another inning, the teams agreed to accept the 10-10 tie and call it a day.

The Rams now stand at 1-0-1 on the season, and travel to Georgetown tomorrow to face Southwestern University before opening Red River Conference play on Friday and Saturday against The College of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico. The Rams return home next Tuesday for a doubleheader against LSU-Shreveport. First pitch is at 1:00 PM.