[Baseball] Baseball Falcons drop a pair in Chickasha

Chickasha, Okla. – The Friends University Falcons dropped two games to a pair of nationally ranked teams today (Feb. 18), 17-6 to the No. 19-ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) Drovers and 13-1 to the No. 5-ranked Bellevue University Bruins.

The Falcons had taken an early lead in the opening game on a bases-loaded walk to Oliver Dunn, but the Drover offense quickly clicked with a seven-run explosion in the bottom of the first.

Gavin Machado then hit a three-run homer in the next inning to expand the lead to nine runs.

With USAO leading 17-3 in the seventh, an RBI single by Zeke Henson and bases-loaded walks to Ryan Sylvester and Caleb Coats accounted for the Falcons' fifth and sixth runs of the game.

The Falcons got two hits apiece from Coats and Pablo Oden, with Oden singling home Coats in the third before crossing the plate on a wild pitch.

Martinez went 3-of-5 with two runs driven in for USAO.

In the second game against the fifth-ranked Bruins, the Falcons again jumped on top with an RBI single by Coats in the first inning.

But similar to the opening tilt, it wouldn't be sustained as Bellevue scored a run in the second to tie the score and two more in the third to take the lead.

Kanta Kobayashi and Jake Lacey then powered a five-run fourth frame by each hitting a two-run blast. Two runs in the fifth and then three more in the sixth finished off the game for the Bruins.

Coats had two more hits for the Falcons (4-6), while Brendan Luther went four-of-five at the plate with two RBIs for Bellevue.

Alexandro Celiceo started and went six innings on the mound for the Bruins, striking out five with one run allowed.

The Falcons will now return home and host Central Christian College Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 22) at 2 pm at West Side Athletic Field.