TAHLEQUAH – The NSU baseball team will return to Rousey Field this week to kickoff a five-game home stand when they welcome the Northwestern Oklahoma Rangers to town on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
OPENING PITCH
1. The RiverHawks opened MIAA play over the weekend by taking a three-game series from Northwest Missouri. NSU held off a late Bearcat rally on Friday and used a late-inning offensive outburst on Sunday afternoon.
2. In Sunday's matchup, the score was tied in the top of the seventh when
Collin Klingensmith ripped a two-RBI double to right-center field to break the deadlock. Klingensmith would pile on in the eighth when he hit a two-run home run.
3.
Blake Freeman enters the game riding a 26-game hitting streak dating back to last season. It is the longest such streak in NSU history. He has a team-high .393 batting average, which is fifth in the MIAA.
Chaz Orr is right behind him with a .382 batting average.
Collin Klingensmith has provided the power for the RiverHawks, hitting four home runs this season.
4. On the mound,
Lee Callison has been the top starter for the RiverHawks, having made three starts, throwing 14.2 innings and allowing six earned runs while recording 15 strikeouts.
Nic Swanson has been the top arm out of the bullpen, making four appearances, allowing no runs and recording seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched.
5. The Rangers are coming off a three-game series against No. 25 Southern Arkansas where they won the middle game of the series 2-1, but lost games one and three. In game two, the Rangers recorded just three hits but managed to slip by the Muleriders thanks to an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Jake Darrow that provided some needed insurance, as the Muleriders scored one in the bottom of the inning.
6. Darrow is pacing the Rangers offense with a .371 batting average. Bryce Donavan is batting .368, with six home runs and 18 runs batted in on the season. Scott Creedon has been the most consistent starting pitcher, throwing 28.1 innings, recording an ERA of 4.13 and recording 25 strikeouts.
Up Next: The RiverHawks will host Pittsburg State this weekend for a three-game MIAA series.
