Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

EDMOND, Okla. – The Northeastern State baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bronchos (20-7, 16-7 MIAA) won the first game 8-0 and swept the twinbill with a 9-4 victory over the RiverHawks (14-16, 10-13 MIAA) in the second game.
 
UCO handed NSU back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of the series, and that was the first time the RiverHawks have been blanked twice in a row since Feb. 17, 2006.
 
Central Oklahoma 8, Northeastern State 0 (box score)
The Bronchos went ahead with solo runs in the second and third frames, and then a five-run fourth and dominant pitching allowed the home side to secure the victory.
 
Senior Cody Robinson finished 2-for-3 on the day, but the rest of team could only muster a 2-for-21 effort. Tyler Crabtree paced UCO with three hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Josh Ingram was also 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run as Central Oklahoma outhit NSU 9-4.
 
Ricky Reeves earned the victory on the mound after tossing five shutout frames. He allowed three hits and struck out five. Ryan Helsley was saddled with the loss after conceding seven runs on six hits across the first 3.2 innings. He struck out two and walked five.
 
Central Oklahoma 8, Northeastern State 4 (box score)
Northeastern State finally got on the board in the series and even held a lead for an inning, but two costly errors and a seven-run fifth would spell doom for the visitors.
 
Junior Trent Wilkins homered in the top of the fourth to put the RiverHawks ahead 2-0, and a double from senior David Weber in the fifth plated junior Dante Broom and freshman Bryce Davenport to push the lead to 4-1.
 
UCO pushed one run across following a leadoff error by NSU, but then another error was committed by the visitors and the wheels came off. A three-run home run by Matt Johnson helped the home team plate seven runs in the frame, and NSU would not respond.
 
NSU was outhit 8-6, and Wilkins led the way with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. He finished with two RBI and a run scored.
 
Johnson and Dillon Argo both had two hits and two runs for the Bronchos, and Johnson finished with four RBI.
 
Reliever Joe Hollowell collected the victory for UCO after throwing 0.2 innings and not allowing a run, and NSU started Bryan McClellan (3-2) earned the loss after conceding eight runs (two earned) on six hits in 4.2 frames. Junior Seth Hudson tossed 0.1 innings and was ejected, and freshman Zack Hammock completed the game.
 
The two teams will lock up Sunday in the series finale at 1 p.m.
 
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