Edmond, OK – The Northern State baseball team battled back from an early deficit in the opening innings on Friday night, however the Central Oklahoma bats proved to be too much as they took a 14-4 win on their home diamond in the first day of the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
 
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 4, UCO 14
Records: NSU 0-1, UCO 1-0
Attendance: 189
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• With a 3-up, 3-down top half of the first inning for Northern State, Central Oklahoma took control of the game early with three runs off three hits in the bottom of the first
• After giving up three runs early in the first inning, Brian Baker regained his composure to strikeout the side in the bottom of the second inning
• Jackson Meyer recorded the first hit of the season for the Wolves in the top of the third, and advanced to second on a wild pitch the next at bat; Jordan DeMarce reached base later in the inning, however the two were left stranded on second and third to end the inning
• UCO added two more runs in the bottom of the third off a Northern State fielding error with the bases loaded and a fielder's choice play to make it a 5-0 game; Baker was able to get out of the inning with his fifth strikeout of the game
• With two outs in the top of the fourth inning, Kai Brisk sent a solo-homerun to left center to put the Wolves on the scoreboard and cut the deficit back to four runs (5-1)
• Jake Helleloid made his NSU debut as he took the mound in relief in the bottom of the fifth inning, and proceeded to send the Broncho batters down in order after a pair of fly outs and a ground out
• A leadoff walk for DeMarce sparked a 3-run sixth inning for Northern as they brought the game within a single run; Jack Paulson hit an RBI single up the middle to score DeMarce right before Reece Ragatz cleared the bases with a 2-run homer for NSU
• Orlando Gonzales hit a leadoff solo-homerun for Central Oklahoma in the bottom of the sixth inning to push the UCO lead back to 6-4 before Jack Miller entered the game in relief and ended the inning by sending Noah Olson down on strikes
• An RBI triple for Cameron Uselton and a sacrifice fly out to center field by Gonzales added two runs for Central Oklahoma in the bottom of the seventh innings; Brenden Baxter put an end the inning as he left two Broncho base runners stranded while he struck out Landen Wood
• The Bronchos added six more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to end the game as UCO cycled through the order, pushing the lead to 14-4
• Northern State scored their four runs on four hits, and committed one error defensively; on the mound Brian Baker suffered the loss for the Wolves after pitching the first four innings of the game

 NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Brian Baker: 4.0 innings pitched, 5 strikeouts
Reece Ragatz: 1-for-4, 1 homerun, 2 RBI, 1 run
Kai Brisk: 1-for-3, 1 homerun, 1 RBI, 1 run
 
UP NEXT
Northern State will look to regroup tomorrow afternoon as they face Emporia State who won the opening game of the Edmond First Pitch Classic over Oklahoma Baptist (17-9). First pitch between the Wolves and Hornets is scheduled for 1 p.m. back at Wendell Simmons Field in Edmond, Oklahoma.