DEFENDING CHAMPION STARS TOP RAMS
May 10, 2006

PLAINVIEW, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (31-22) suffered a 13-1 loss at the hands of #3 and defending National Champion Oklahoma City (47-10) in the first round of the NAIA Region VI Tournament on Wednesday.

Oklahoma City, who entered the game leading all ranks of collegiate baseball with 97 home runs, cracked three more in the 13-1 win giving them an even 100 on the season.

The Stars scored each of their first six runs with two outs.  They began the scoring when Ryan Rachal plated Derek Snell and Mike Jensen with a two-out single in the second.  Scott Mitchell followed Rachal with a solo home run to right center to give OCU a 4-0 lead.

A two-out RBI single from Bobby Spain in the third and a Landon Camp solo home run to left with two down in the fourth brought the score to 6-0.

The Rams finally broke up Jeff McLaughlin’s bid for a no-hitter when Zach Archer roped a two out double in the bottom of the fourth.

OCU continued to pour it on in the fifth and sixth.  Jensen cracked a three-run homer to right in the fifth, and a leadoff bunt single from Camp started a three-run frame to bring the score to 12-0.

The Rams mounted their first threat of the game in the bottom of the sixth, when they loaded the bases with two outs, but were unable to push a run across.

The Stars came back and loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Jordan Jones worked out of the jam with only one run scored.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Kent Russell ripped a triple and scored on double from Chris Palmer, but it was not enough to extend the game as OCU took the 13-1 win.

Shea Harrison (6-5) suffered the loss after allowing nine runs on 12 hits in five innings of work.  McLaughlin improved to 12-2 on the season after tossing six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven.

The Rams will advance to play the loser of today’s contest between Houston Baptist University and Wayland Baptist University.  That second round game is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday in Plainview.