Chaps Happy to Leave Sooner State

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 13, 2010) – It was strictly for bragging rights in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship game Thursday at Oklahoma City University’s Jim Wade Stadium.  Both No.5 Lubbock Christian University and No.6 Oklahoma City University are hosting NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round tournaments Tuesday, so Thursday’s play was strictly one last chance to play games that had no meaning.  Oklahoma City<city w:st="on"><place w:st="on"></place></city> was able to defeat Lubbock Christian twice, winning 2-1 and 14-4 to claim their first SAC Tournament title since 2007.

Tanner Vickers pitched his best performance of the season in the opener, but the Chaparrals senior unfortunately suffered the loss (2-2) with the lack of offensive support.  Vickers pitched all nine innings and allowed two runs off four hits. The only hit allowed that did damage was a Garrett Regan two-run single with two outs in the third inning.  The Chaps trailed 2-0 after the hit, and Vickers gave the Chaps an opportunity to get back into the game by not allowing a hit against the next 20 batters faced and only allowing one hit the rest of the game.

The Chaps offense never responded, as freshman pitcher Cody Crabaugh held LCU to just seven hits (all singles) and struck out ten Chaps over eight innings.  The Chaps scored their only run in the fifth inning with a two-out single from Ross Blondin. 

LCU was just 1-for-10 in the game with runners in scoring position.  Both teams struggled offensively from the bottom of their order.  Oklahoma City<city w:st="on"><place w:st="on"></place></city> was 1-for-17 with the bottom five in the order, while the Chaps were 1-for-14 with their last four batters in the order.

Both teams used relief pitchers to lead the way in the second game, and OCU closer Brad Riddle ended up pitching a complete game, holding the Chaps to four runs on nine hits to improve to 3-1.  Like the first game, all the Chaps runs came in the fifth inning.  Reid Chenworth blasted a home run over the right field fence, Joe Staley drove in a run with a single and Blondin followed with a two-run double for the Chaps four runs in the inning.  The scoring did little to the deficit, as the Chaps were down 12-0 entering the inning.  A series of infield singles and a walk by starting pitcher Kevin Burns with the bases loaded in the first inning started the Stars offense in the game.  Nate Bryan followed the walk with a two-run single and the Stars led 4-0 after the first inning.  Back-to-back infield bunt singles led off a four-run third inning for OCU and the lead was extended to 8-0.  They used long balls the rest of the way, as Regan hit a solo homer in the fourth inning and Matt Presley followed later in the inning with a three-run shot.  Mark Purser added a two-run home run in the fifth inning and it closed the game’s scoring.

Burns fell to 0-1 surrendering three earned runs off six hits in two innings of work.  Chenworth went 3-for-3 in the game with a triple shy of a cycle.  Some of the Chaps hitting streaks came to an end Thursday.  Rafael Thomas had his 15-game hit streak ended in the first game and J.J. Muse had his 15-game hit streak ended in the second game.  David Cruz was able to extend his hit streak to 20 games.

The Chaps fell to 43-13 overall, while OCU improves to 46-14.  The two teams have now faced each other six times on the season with LCU holding a 4-2 mark against the Stars this season.  LCU will now wait until the NAIA releases the fields of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round tournaments on Friday.  The tournament begins Tuesday at Hays Field.