SAUGET, Ill. (ABP) — An Arkansas Baptist college's baseball team fell just barely short of claiming the NCAA Division II crown May 31.
The Ouachita Baptist University Tigers couldn't overcome a five-run lead built up by the top-ranked Mount Olive College Trojans in the first inning of the final game. They outscored the North Carolina school 2-1 in the rest of the game, ending with a 6-2 loss.
Ouachita ended the season with a 51-16 record, marking the greatest number of wins in the program's history. It was also head coach Scott Norwood's last game with the Tigers. He is moving to the top coaching post at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Norwood, who has an overall record of 289-140, ended his four years at OBU with a 158-77 record.
“What a great run these kids have given me and themselves,” Norwood said, according to a Ouachita press release. “We are proud of them and proud of how far they came and what they've accomplished.”
In the final game, Mount Olive (58-6) took advantage of a Tiger error in the top of the first inning to grab its initial 5-0 lead. They added another run in the fifth inning.
The Tigers attempted a rally in the bottom of the eighth, scoring twice off Trojans starting pitcher Casey Hodges. OBU's Blake Lockwood hit a double to center field to lead off the inning, scoring when Justin Pennell reached on an error. Pennell then scored on Jim Streicher's double to center field. But it wasn't enough to carry the day.
OBU senior pitcher Steve Smith was named the series' most valuable player and to the All-Tournament Team. Ouachita players joining Smith in All-Tournament honors were Pennell, Streicher and Destan Makonnen.
GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., home of the minor-league Gateway Grizzlies, hosted the series.
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