Arkansas Tech University recovered from an opening loss to win its Great American Conference baseball series against Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla., on Saturday and Sunday.
The Wonder Boys (8-6 overall, 3-3 GAC) will play their first home conference series of the season when they host Ouachita Baptist University for a three-game set on Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
Admission to Tech Field in Russellville will be free, and live coverage will be available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
Game One: NWOSU 6, Tech 2
Luis Cintron drove in two runs, Luis Mendoza went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and Walker Wharton pitched a complete game for Northwestern Oklahoma State in a 6-2 win over Arkansas Tech on Saturday.
Wharton (4-0) scattered eight hits over nine innings and was charged with two runs. He notched five strikeouts.
Tech’s Dylan McDearmon went 2-for-4. Cody Wescott hit a solo home run and Riley Hickerson had one run batted in for the Wonder Boys.
Game Two: Tech 10, NWOSU 4
A late flurry of runs allowed Arkansas Tech to defeat Northwestern Oklahoma State 10-4 in game one of a Sunday doubleheader.
The Rangers led 4-1 after six innings, but the Wonder Boys rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning and five more in the top of the eighth.
Hickerson put Tech in front 5-4 with a two-out, two-run single in the seventh. He finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
Britt Stroth went 3-for-4 for the Wonder Boys. He scored two runs and drove in one. McDearmon, Harry Gard, Mark Vaughn, Connor Brady and Jake Harvey recorded two base hits apiece.
Arkansas Tech starting pitcher Michael Mueller (1-2) allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits over seven innings. He struck out nine Rangers.
Jared Droll emerged from the Wonder Boys’ bullpen to record the final six outs.
Game Three: Tech 12, NWOSU 11
Arkansas Tech withstood a last-chance rally by Northwestern Oklahoma State to defeat the Rangers 12-11 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Hickerson and Vaughn drove in three runs apiece to help the Wonder Boys build a 12-3 lead going to the bottom half of the seventh and final inning.
Four hits, six walks, one wild pitch, one error and one hit batsman later, Northwestern Oklahoma State had pulled within 12-11 with the bases loaded and two out.
Tech relief pitcher Nolan Withrow induced a fly out to center field by Jorin Van Amstel to strand the tying and winning runs on base and give the Wonder Boys a 2-of-3 games series victory.
Isaac Hale (1-0) was credited as the winning pitcher.
