Arkansas Tech University opened the home portion of its 2016 baseball schedule by winning 2-of-3 games against Missouri Western State University during a non-conference series at Tech Field in Russellville on Saturday and Sunday.
The Wonder Boys (3-3) will play three neutral-site games in Arkadelphia next weekend. Tech will face Northwest Missouri State University at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, and noon on Saturday, Feb. 13, before taking on Missouri Western at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Game One: Arkansas Tech 8, Missouri Western 7
Parker O’Dell notched the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th inning to give Arkansas Tech an 8-7 win over Missouri Western in the series opener on Saturday.
O’Dell sent a two-out single through the left side that brought Marcus Wilson home with the winning run.
Nate Rutherford (1-1), the seventh and final Wonder Boys pitcher of the game, worked one scoreless inning of relief to earn the win.
Tech’s Josh Watkins went 5-for-6 with one run scored and one run batted in.
Game Two: Missouri Western 10, Arkansas Tech 5
Missouri Western’s Brandon Downs and Cosimo Cannella slugged Missouri Western to a 10-5 victory over Arkansas Tech in game two of the series on Saturday.
Downs went 4-for-4 with a home run and three runs batted in, while Cannella was 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs.
Game Three: Arkansas Tech 7, Missouri Western 6
Arkansas Tech took the rubber game of the series by holding off Missouri Western 7-6 on Sunday afternoon.
The Golden Griffons put two runners on base in the top of the ninth inning, but Wonder Boys relief pitcher Jesse Harbin was able to induce a fly out to left field by Nick Gawley to strand the tying run at second base and the go-ahead run at first base.
Harbin earned his second save of the season. Tech’s Brandon Bohuslav (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and was credited with the win.
O’Dell drove in three runs for the Wonder Boys. Mark Vaughn, Collin O’Neil, Blake King and Connor Brady had one RBI apiece.
