Wind gives Stars walk off win over Bellevue

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- A Trent Kiraly fly ball, knocked down by the wind, scored two runs with two outs in the seventh to give No. 23 Oklahoma City University a 3-2 walk-off victory over the No. 15 Bellevue University baseball team on Saturday afternoon from Denney Crabaugh Field at Jim Wade Stadium.

The Stars improve to 3-5 on the year. BU dips to 1-3 following their third-straight loss.
Elijah Tanner staked the Bruins to a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single. Following two quick outs, Bellevue received three straight base hits from Jake Lacey, Logan Grant, and Tanner to open the scoring.

Bellevue received five strong innings from Parker McMan, who allowed just an unearned run on five hits. He struck out six and did not issue a free pass.

The Stars finally got to McMan in the fourth after being limited to just one hit through the first three innings. A leadoff error allowed Kiraly to reach, but he was later gunned down at the play by Lind in right field on a single from Ethan Rhodes. The throw by Lind kept BU in front until Hunter Brown came through with an infield single to score Jack Johnson from third.

Bellevue jumped back in front with another two-out run in the sixth. Lacey started the rally with a hard double down the third base line and came around to score on Grant's opposite-field knock.

Cannon Close worked around a leadoff walk in a scoreless sixth before handing the ball off to Teron Williams for the seventh.

The Bruins threatened to add on in the seventh. Tanner drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sac bunt, and took third on a wild pitch. With one out and a 2-0 count, Jaylan Ruffin got the sign for a squeeze play but couldn't get the bunt down, and Tanner was picked off, retreating to third.

Williams (0-1) retired the first two hitters he faced with a strikeout and a ground ball. Aiden Van Rensum singled to right, and Jeffrey Martz drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Kiraly took Williams' 2-0 pitch in the air to left, but the swirling wind knocked the ball's flight down and into the outfield grass, where it fell in front of the back-tracking Tanner. He came up with it, though Van Rensum had scored easily on the play, and his throw home was too late to catch pinch-runner Will Ellis, who crossed the plate with the game-winning run.

Tanner Ellis (1-0) struck out four in a complete game five-hitter for the Stars to earn the win.

Lacey and Grant each finished 2-for-3 for the Bruins, who managed just 11 hits in three games over the weekend.

Bellevue returns to the Sooner State next weekend for a three-game series against (RV) University of Science & Arts. The Bruins and Drovers play a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 15, beginning at noon, and wrap up the series on Sunday, Feb. 16, with a noon matinee.