WICHITA, Kan. – For the second straight Tuesday, the Friends University Falcons bested the No. 19-ranked Ottawa University Braves, this time by a 10-4 count today (Apr. 8) at Westside Athletic Field. The Falcons clinched the season series over the Braves after winning 11-4 on the road last Tuesday.
With the win, the Falcons move into fourth place in the KCAC at 17-11 in the league and are now 23-16 overall.
Trailing 3-1 in the third, the Falcons proceeded to score nine unanswered runs to take command.
After an RBI single by Isaias Urriola made it 3-2 in the bottom of the third, Miles Hartman singled in the tying run in the bottom of the fourth and then came home with the go-ahead tally on a sacrifice fly from Zeke Henson.
Hartman's second RBI single in the fifth made it 5-3 before a two-run double by Urriola in the sixth was followed by an RBI double from Bernie Socarras in the seventh that resulted in an 8-3 Falcon lead.
Henson then showed off his power stroke with his team-leading 12th homer of the season, a two-run blast that put Friends comfortably ahead 10-3.
"I thought we played well today," said Friends baseball head coach Adam Neisius. "Pitchers executed and kept a high-octane Ottawa lineup to four runs. Hitters did a nice job top to bottom, we were good situational hitting and got multiple two out hits and RBIs. Good series win vs. a Top 25 team."
Julius Ryan had a hand in the first three runs scored for the Braves, scoring on an RBI groundout in the first and then singling home two runs in the second.
Urriola equaled his career-high with four hits in five at-bats and three RBI for Friends. Henson also drove in three runs, while Socarras and Hartman each had two hits.
The Falcons used six pitchers, with Max Van Dam starting and going four innings with one earned run allowed and three strikeouts. Gonzolo Armas followed Van Dam and pitched a scoreless inning to be credited with the win. Keagan Alejo finished out the game by blanking the Braves in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.
Ottawa (31-8, 20-6 KCAC) got two hits apiece from Ryan, Dylan Garcia and Jaquavius Davis.
Friends will next remain home and host their final home KCAC series against the University of Saint Mary, starting with a single game Friday (Apr. 11) at 3 pm. Senior Day is then scheduled to begin prior to Saturday's doubleheader at noon.
