FORT SMITH – UAFS won its fifth Heartland Conference series of the season on Saturday as the No. 25-ranked Lions split a doubleheader against the Oklahoma Christian Eagles to end their four-game series at Crowder Field.
The Lions won the opening game 9-7 but lost the second game 7-3. UAFS won the series 3-1 after sweeping Friday’s series-opening doubleheader with a 3-0 and 12-9. The Lions have won all but one of its six league series by 3-1 margins and split its series against the St. Mary’s Rattlers.
UAFS (32-13, 17-7) maintained a two-game lead in the conference over St. Mary’s (31-15, 15-9), which swept Texas A&M International, and St. Edward’s (27-18, 15-9), which swept Lubbock Christian.
UAFS, which is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II South Central Region and No. 3 in the NCBWA NCAA Division II South Central Region, will finish the regular-season with a four-game series at Lubbock Christian on Thursday and Friday.
Designated hitter Anthony Seminaris crushed his second home run of the season – a two-out, three-run shot – as part of a five-run outburst by the Lions in the sixth inning that gave the Lions their only lead and propelled them to the opening-game win.
UAFS had 10 hits – three for extra bases – against Oklahoma Christian starter Gabe Rodery, who suffered the complete-game loss. Rodery (3-4) allowed nine runs – four earned – with one walk and four strikeouts.
Seminaris was 1 for 4 with three RBIs, second baseman Troy Cahill was 1 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, shortstop Drew Duncan was 3 for 4, third baseman Brandan Warner was 2 for 2 with one RBI, first baseman Kyle Love was 2 for 3 and right fielder Dion Williams was 1 for 2 with a triple.
Oklahoma Christian, which enjoyed leads of 4-0 and 7-4, had nine hits – three for extra bases – off two of the three UAFS pitchers.
Reliever Boston Heil (1-0) earned the win in relief of starter Dawson Floyd, allowing no runs on two hits in 2/3 innings. Floyd allowed seven runs – five earned – on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Reliever Easton Stallings retired both batters he faced in the seventh inning and had one strikeout to earn his second save.
Eagles shortstop Kyle Bottger was 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, designated hitter Alex Garcia as 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs and left fielder Ryan Ward was 2 for 4.
Oklahoma Christian (21-24, 10-14) quickly built an insurmountable lead in the first inning of the second game. The Eagles touched Lions starter Zach Burch (3-3) for five consecutive hits and four runs before he was relieved by Stallings with no outs and a runner at second base.
That runner eventually scored to give the Eagles a 5-0 lead, and the Lions never were able to completely erase that deficit.
The Eagles had 14 hits – two for extra bases – off three of the five Lions pitchers. Designated hitter Jake Collins was 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs, Ward was 3 for 4 with one RBI, center fielder Hunter Markwardt was 1 for 4 with one RBI, second baseman Callen Crockett was 2 for 5, Bottger was 2 for 4 with a triple and third baseman Garrett Wages was 2 for 4.
UAFS had seven hits – two for extra bases – against four Oklahoma Christian pitchers. Reliever Matthew Fusselman (1-0) earned the win, retiring the only batter he faced in relief of starter Skyler Martin. Martin allowed one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts but lasted only 2 2/3 innings.
Duncan was 1 for 3 with a double and one RBI, Williams was 1 for 3 with an inside the park home run and one RBI, Seminaris was 2 for 3 and Warner was 1 for 4.
GAME ONE
- 25 UAFS 9, OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 7
Oklahoma Christian 022 003 0 — 7 9 4
UAFS 003 015 X — 9 10 2
Rodery and Brown; Floyd, Heil (6), Stallings (7) and Hurt. W – Heil, 1-0. L – Rodery, 3-4. Sv – Stallings (2). HRs – Oklahoma Christian, Bottger (4), Garcia (3); UAFS, Seminaris (2), Cahill (6).
GAME TWO
OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN 7, NO. 25 UAFS 3
Oklahoma Christian 500 000 101 — 7 14 1
UAFS 001 001 001 — 3 7 1
Martin, Fusselman (3), Reynolds (4), Collins (6) and Salinas, Springman; Burch, Stallings (1), Heil (7), Van Kooten (7), Lawrence (9) and Hurt. W – Fusselman, 1-0. L – Burch, 3-3. HRs – UAFS, Williams (3).