SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State baseball team evened up the series with Southwestern Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon, winning 11-2 and forcing a rubber game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Rams (5-1) racked up 14 hits in the matchup, including home runs from shortstop Nick Novak and third basemen Jacob Boston.
"We did some things better today, and I thought Nick Novak really set the tone in that first at-bat," head men's baseball coach Kevin Brooks said. "We got their starting pitcher's pitch count up and were able to take advantage of that. I still think we're not playing at the level we want to though and hope we can improve from here."
Novak set the tone for the game as he led off the bottom of the first for ASU with a nine-pitch at-bat before striking out. Mitch Henshaw followed with a single for the first Ram baserunner of the day and advance to second when Boston singled a batter later.
Both runners scored when first basemen Andrew Morales hit a single to right field, giving the Rams the lead.
Angelo State added another pair of runs in the second as Jonathan Soberanes walked and stole second to begin the inning, advancing to third on a ground ball. Catcher Joe Scott Pace then got on base via a hit-by-pitch and stole second as well. Both came in to score when Novak hit a two-out single.
Southwestern Oklahoma State struck back with a run in the third, but starting pitcher Carson Childers limited the damage. Childers ended up going six and two thirds innings on the mound, earning his first collegiate win in the process.
The Rams did not get on the board again until the fith inning, but they did so in dramatic fashion. Pace and Novak reached to begin the inning, and a batter later Michael Urquidi reached on a walk to load the bases for Jacob Boston.
Boston just missed on the first pitch he saw, fouling it back to the net behind home plate, but crushed his second pitch over the wall in left center for a grand slam.
It would be Boston's last hit of the day, as he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the seventh, but the senior already has six hits through the first two games of the series.
SWOSU got their second and final run in the top of the seventh inning, but freshman reliever Trent Baker came in and shut down the Bulldogs to end the inning.
Baker pitched the eighth and ninth as well, allowing just two hits and striking out one batter.
The Rams added some insurance runs for Baker to work with in the bottom of the seventh. Novak once again led it off, homering down the right field line. It was just the second homer of his collegiate career.
The next three ASU batters reached as well, loading the bases for Morales, who singled for two more runs. The third run of the inning came in when Parker Tadlock got a groundout.
Both teams were scoreless for the final two innings, as ASU took the game 11-2.
Angelo State will look to win the series in the final game of the weekend, taking on Southwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
