Oakland City, IN - In
Andy Lasher's coaching debut on the sidelines for the Mighty Oaks, OCU's baseball team hosted the Maple Leafs of Goshen College for a two-game series. Strong pitching efforts by the Oaks were matchup by efficient hitting, and Oakland City University kicked off the 2021 season with a pair of victories, winning by scores of 4-0 and 8-0.
Game one saw senior pitcher
Tristen Cummings pitch a nearly perfect six innings in his second consecutive opening day start in an OCU uniform, striking a total of 12 batters, including the first six batters he faced, and eight of the first 10. He gave up just one hit, a bunt single in the top of the fourth inning, while allowing no walks, retiring 19 of the 20 batters he faced.
Will Davis, in his junior season, pitched a perfect seventh inning to close out the victory, inducing three flyouts on 10 pitches.
The Mighty Oaks scored their first run early, plating their first run in the bottom of the first inning.
Victor Alvarez, a sophomore outfielder who transfered from Lyon College, singled with one out, followed by junior third baseman
Colton White, whose single advanced Alvarez to third. After a strikeout by freshman
Connor Oxley, in as the designated hitter, White stole second and Alvarez stole home on a well designed play.
OCU scored again in the third inning, beginning with another one-out Alvarez single, advancing to second on a stolen base after White struck out. Oxley picked up his first collegiate RBI with a single to centerfield, scoring Alvarez, giving the Oaks a 2-0 lead.
The fourth inning saw the Oaks score two more insurance runs, as
Tyler Roberts, junior first baseman, and
Noah Gilbert, sophomore catcher, each walked, putting runners on first and second with one out. Goshen was able to get a second out before a pitching change, followed by a wild pitch that advanced Roberts to third and senior
Kyle Stuckey, who came in to run for Gilbert, moved to second. Roberts then scored and Stuckey advanced to third on a passed ball, then Stuckey scored on a wild pitch.
The second game OCU starter, sophomore
Justin Hallum, pitched five innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, while striking out two and picking off a runner. In relief, Garrett Witeker, sophomore transfer from Kentucky Wesleyan College, surrendered two hits and fanned three in two innings on the mound.
Oakland City University was able to score in the first inning again, sending three runners safely home.
Chandler Dunn, junior transfer from Chowan University, who started the game at shortstop, led off the OCU offense with a walk, was moved to third on another Alvarez single. White grounded out to third base, driving in Dunn and moving Alvarez to second base with one out. Oxley drove in Alvarez with a single up the middle.
Austin Morris, junior second baseman, reached on a fielder's choice, then went to third on a Roberts single. Both advanced on a wild pitch, giving OCU a 3-0 lead after one inning of play.
The third inning saw the Mighty Oaks add to their lead, as Alvarez again singled through the left side, moving to third when White doubled to left-center. After Oxley was sent back to the dugout with a swinging strikeout, Morris hit a fly ball over second base to drive in Alvarez. Roberts reached and drove in White, while Morris advanced to second on an error by the Goshen shortstop. Another error by the Leafs, this time by the third baseman, allowed Morris to score with
Alec Pruitt, freshman catcher, reaching safely on the play, giving the Oaks a 6-0 advantage.
In the OCU half of the fifth inning, Roberts was hit by a pitch, then advanced to third after
Tanner Singleton, sophomore right fielder, doubled down the left field line.
Payton Hall, freshman center fielder, hit a sharp grounder to third base, and both Roberts and Singleton scored as Hall reached safely, thanks to a wild throw by the Goshen corner infielder, capping off the scoring for the day at 8-0 in the nightcap.
On the day, Alvarez finished a perfect 5-5, all singles, with four runs scored, two steals, a walk and a hit by pitch. White was 2-6 at the dish, including a double, with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base, while Oxley also went 2-6 with two RBI in the two games. Roberts was 1-4, with a walk, a steal, a hit by pitch, and two runs scored. Singleton went 1-6 with a double, scoring a run, while Morris finished 1-7, scored twice, stole a base, and drove in two runs.
The OCU pitching staff threw a combined 14 innings, giving up five hits, one walk and one hit batter, while striking out 17 in the two shutouts. The Oaks batted a combined .235, compared to just .104 for the visiting Leafs, while the Goshen staff's earned run average was 5.25, compared to a perfect 0.00 ERA for the Oaks.
The Mighty Oaks are scheduled to travel to Pikeville, Kentucky, to take on the University of Pikeville in a three-game series, including a double-header on Friday, February 12, starting at noon eastern time, followed by a single game on Saturday, February 13, set to start at 1:00 eastern.
