After slowing Midland College down in the first matchup of their Western Junior College Athletic Conference doubleheader, the Odessa College baseball team couldn’t maintain the same defensive showing and suffered a late collapse in the second contest.
The Wranglers defeated the Chaps 9-3 in Game 1 and fell 23-19 in Game 2 Friday at Wrangler Field.
“We just need to string together some wins, we need to string together some good games,” Odessa College coach Kurtis Lay said. “We look back the last two weeks and we have games that we should be winning, and we’re not pulling them out.”
Odessa College had no trouble at bat in both contests, but slowed down at the wrong time in the second showdown of the day against the Chaps.
The rivalry had a strong defensive feel early in Game 1, as both teams kept each other off the scoreboard through the first two innings.
Odessa College recorded one hit before Jake Gonce stepped up to bat in the top of the third.
Gonce’s line drive single to left field was what the Wranglers needed to get the offensive momentum flowing.
The Wranglers recorded seven hits and brought in five runners in the frame to grab a comfortable lead.
That quick jump also had an effect on Midland College, with Tyler Wulfert cutting the deficit by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the fourth.
A solo home run from Garrett Williams in the fifth saw Midland College momentarily bring the Wrangler lead down to two.
Odessa College got some insurance when an RBI single from Daniel Monti brought in Austin Russell and Tyson Pointer in the bottom of the inning.
Monti went on to reach home plate on a single from Chase Diggins, proving to be the final score of the first game as the Wranglers held the Chaps off the board in the sixth and seventh with strong defensive plays.
“I thought Cade [McGlade] did a good job of putting some zeroes up early in the game,” Lay said. “We continued to add to the runs and, as you can see today, any lead is not safe.”
The second game saw both sides work quickly to open the scoring.
Through the first two innings, the Wranglers and Chaps had combined for 12 runs to equal the amount scored in the opener.
Luke Bumpus helped Midland College jump ahead with an RBI single that drove in Gibrian Pena and Luke Young in the top of the second, but that advantage was shortlived.
Odessa College took over the lead and reinforced it by scoring eight unanswered runs through the third and fourth innings.
Seven of those came through in the bottom of the fourth where the Wranglers connected for five hits, with a three-run homer from Pointer standing out.
After the Wranglers went up 14-8, they were outscored 15-5 the rest of the way.
Midland College had a seven-run inning of its own, jumping ahead with a scoring burst in the top of the eighth.
“About the sixth inning, I told myself whoever put the next zero was probably going to win,” Lay said. “Unfortunately they put up the zero.”
The Wranglers went through six pitchers in the second contest, with Will Hellings striking out five to lead the bullpen.
Odessa College (20-14 overall, 7-7 conference) will continue its series against Midland College (26-12, 9-5) with another doubleheader, starting at noon Saturday at Christensen Stadium in Midland.
Lay said the way the ball jumps at the Chaps’ stadium stands out because it’s similar to how it jumps at Wrangler Field.
“Hopefully the wind is not blowing out so that we’re not there for six and a half hours tomorrow,” Lay said. “We’ve got to get hooked up, we’ve got to turn the page, realize it’s disappointing but tomorrow is a new day.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
