[Baseball] No. 6 STU Snaps No. 2 USAO's Win-Streak at NAIA World Series
LEWISTON, ID – The No. 2 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (47-11) suffered a heartbreaking 5-6 defeat to No. 6 St. Thomas University (47-13) late Monday night at the NAIA World Series. The loss snapped the Drovers 26 game win-streak, which was the longest active win-streak in the NAIA entering the thrilling game.
The Drovers scored first, thanks to a two-run homerun from Coleton Horner (SR/Turlock, CA) in the top of the second inning. The lead was short-lived as STU rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Bobcats scored two runs in the third inning, and two runs in the fourth inning, to extend their lead to 6-2. The Drovers showed a lot of fight, cutting the deficit to 6-3 in the top of the fifth inning, after a delay when the stadium lost power. USAO added a run in the eighth and ninth innings, but it was one run short of forcing extra innings.
Matt Merrill (FR/Tulsa, OK) started on the mound for USAO, pitching the first 2.1 innings before being relieved by Brock Henderson (FR/Chickasha, OK). Henderson pitched 1.0 inning, prior to handing the ball over to Ricardo Velez (JR/Lajas, Puerto Rioco) for the final 4.2 innings. Velez did not allow a run and he only allowed one hit as he fanned six batters.
The Drovers recorded 10 hits as a team, two more than the Bobcats tallied. Coleton Horner led the Drovers offense, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. Horner went 3-for-4 with a homerun, a double, and three runs batted in. Miguel Lorenzo (SR/Boston, MA) also concluded with three hits, which included two doubles and one run scored. Cristian Laboy (JR/Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) hit a MONSTER homerun in the top of the ninth inning, as he contributed a 1-for-4 performance. Alex Sanchez (SR/New York, N.Y.) went 1-for-4 with a RBI, while Luis Pelayo (JR/Santa Cruz, Aruba) went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored. P.J. Garcia (SR/Glendale, AZ) added a single and a walk in the tough loss.
The Drovers will look to extend their season as they face No. 3 seed Southeastern University at 5 PM CT on Tuesday, May 28 in Lewiston, Idaho.