Ninth inning comeback falls short in Pride 4-3 loss to Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Completing their 2023 season opening series on Sunday afternoon, the Clarke University baseball team fell in a one-run contest to Oklahoma City University on the road.

It was another game with limited offense as the Stars won by a 4-3 final after the Pride earned a split with a 3-2 win in game two on Saturday. OCU jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the second inning before extending it to 2-0 in the fourth.

CU would cut the lead in half in the fifth inning on a Daniel Phyle RBI single scoring Andrew Swartz to make it 2-1 but Oklahoma City would double their run total with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, which also knocked Clarke starting pitcher Johnny Blake out of the game. Blake would finish with a final line of 5.1 innings pitched, four runs, all earned, on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Greg Bennett would move from right field to the mound to pitch 2.2 innings of scoreless ball while allowing two hits and a walk to keep the Pride in it at that same 4-1 score into the ninth inning where pinch hitter Paul Von Zboray would drive in a run with an RBI triple before Bennett drove in Cole Swartz, pinch running for Von Zboray, with a sacrifice fly.

But unfortunately for CU, that would be all they could muster in their comeback during the final inning as the Stars would hold on for a 4-3 win as Rylan Roberson earned the win on the mound with his seven-inning effort of six-hit ball with six strikeouts while Tyler Polk picked up a two-inning save despite allowing two runs in the ninth.

Clarke baseball will return home before getting back on the road for the Cajun Collision NAIA Baseball event in Shreveport, La. next Friday and Saturday for a total of four games against four opponents.