GOODWELL, Okla. — From a grand slam in the first game to crooked numbers in multiple frames in the nightcap, the Newman baseball team had its offense clicking in a doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State Saturday afternoon to start off a Heartland Conference three-game set.
The Jets (15-8, 3-2 Heartland) ran to a 4-1 win in the opener off of a Nick Griffin grand slam and another stellar effort from Lucas Schauer on the mound, and then put up runs in four separate innings to grab a 13-2 run-rule win in the nightcap against the Aggies (4-19, 0-5 Heartland).
A first-inning run by the hosts didn't faze Newman in the opener, as Schauer settled in to allow just one hit and one walk over the final six innings to shut down the Aggies. He tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the second and worked around an error in the third to get the Jets to the top of the fourth trailing just 1-0, and the bats took advantage.
Aaron Mack got things started with a one-out double to left, followed by Brian Canfield working a walk and Mitchell Beaudreau reaching on an error to load the bases. Staring at a full count, Griffin gave the Jets more than enough cushion in the next at-bat, crushing a pitch over the wall in left for Newman's first grand slam of the season to make it a 4-1 game.
Things sped up from there, as the Aggies had just two runners reach base the rest of the game, with neither getting past first base, and the Jets threaten twice but not push any more runs across. Schauer didn't need them, as he retired the final nine batters he faced to record his sixth straight complete game to move to 5-1 on the season.
Griffin also added a double to finish the first game 2-for-2 with a walk and four RBIs, while Lucas Norton, Mack, Beaudreau and Jacob Hamerle each added base knocks in the opener.
While one big swing did the damage in the first game, the Newman offense was much more democratic, with six different players knocking in runs as the bats went off for the Jets. Brian Canfield started things off in the top of the first with a two-run double to center, while three more runs came off of two OPSU errors to make it 5-0 in the fourth.
The hosts got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth, but the Jets answered quickly in the fifth, plating six runs to take control. Paul Rupnik's sacrifice fly started that scoring binge, and Beaudreau made it 7-1 with an RBI single. Tyler Bugner's two-run single up the middle kept the scoring going, and an error allowed the inning to stay alive, after which two more runs came across to make it 11-1.
Rupnik picked up another RBI in the sixth, this time doubling to center, and he came around to score on Hamerle's chopper to short to push the lead to 13-2 and start the threat of a run-rule victory.
Griffin finished the day 4-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs scored on the day, also adding three walks to finish off a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage. Hamerle, Beaudreau, Bugner and Mack all added a pair of hits, with Hamerle chipping in three RBIs. Dylan Porter picked up the win in the second game, going six innings allowing just the two runs on seven hits while striking out five.
The Jets and the Aggies wrap up the series with a single game Sunday.
