The Mid-Continent University Cougars (25-36) baseball team fell in their pool play opener to the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles (40-23) by the score of 9-1. The Eagles hold the lead in Pool B with a 2-0 mark after day one, while the Cougars are in a three way tie for third in the pool at 0-1.
The Cougars threatened in the first inning with two out, but the Eagles got Sam Cheng to ground into a fielder's choice to end the frame, and they wasted no time in jumping on top. Oklahoma Wesleyan used three hits to score three runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead, adding three more runs in the second inning to chase Mid-Continent starter Tomas Rodriguez from the game. Kyle Hall got the Cougars out of the inningand in the third frame, Daniel Edwards laced a one out double, scoring on an error with two outs in the inning to cut the deficit to five runs. That was as close as the Cougars could get, however, as the Eagles scored once in the fourth and twice more in the fifth to take the 9-1 win.
Rodriguez (5-9) took the loss, allowing six runs in an inning and two-thirds of work. Trevor Cook (10-4) earned the complete game win, scattering five hits and giving up just one unearned run. Edwards was one of five Cougars who had base hits in the game, while Shane Elliott was 3-for-4 with four RBI for Oklahoma Wesleyan.
The Cougars will be back in action at 1 pm on Thursday, when they take on the second seeded Lancers of California Baptist University (39-12) at Prasco Park. The Cougars will play again later in the afternoon in a rematch of the NCCAA Mid-East Regional title game with Bluefield College (31-28).
