Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma State split a season-opening baseball doubleheader at Tech Field in Russellville on Friday evening.
The Wonder Boys blasted the Bulldogs 19-0 in Dave Dawson’s first game as Tech head coach, but Southwestern Oklahoma State came back to take the nightcap 9-5.
The two sides will play the rubber match of a three-game set at noon Saturday.
Josh Floriani (1-0) pitched a three-hit shutout for the Wonder Boys in their game one win on Friday.
Tech’s Chad Wynn was 3-for-5 with six runs batted in during the season opener, while Tyler Taunton was 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs. Clint Stroud and Colt Loehrs drove in two runs apiece and Nick Makris was 3-for-3 with four runs scored.
Southwestern Oklahoma State scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning in game two to pull away for a 6-0 lead.
The Wonder Boys rallied for four runs in the last of the sixth, but three more Bulldog runs in the top of the seventh gave SWOSU an insurmountable 9-4 lead.
Makris added three more hits in the nightcap, and Madison Beaird drove in two runs for Tech.
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