Markel Turrell
Staff Writer
Cameron baseball continued their hot start on the year with a sweep against Southwestern Oklahoma State in a doubleheader on Feb. 11 at McCord Field.
The Aggies mounted a six-run comeback winning 10-8 in Game 1. Then Cameron punished SWOSU in a 13-3 run-rule rout in Game 2.
Game 1
Cameron started off slow, falling behind in the top of the second inning when SWOSU scored six runs. In the bottom of the inning, Cameron got their first runs of the game on a two-run homer by second baseman Bronson Pulgados. The home run also scored catcher Jorden Fields.
The Bulldogs would add another run in the next inning to go up 7-2.
The Aggies started their comeback in the fourth inning with Victor Dejesus’ grand slam to right field, scoring Pulgados, Ryan Banwart and Leno Ramirez. The home run cut the deficit to one run.
SWOSU padded their lead with another run in the fifth inning, but a Pulgados grand slam gave the Aggies a 10-8 lead, one that would hold the rest of the game.
Matt Glasmann pitched 2.2 innings with four strikeouts for the Cameron Nine. Gaige Vines stepped in and dominated Bulldog hitters, pitching 4.1 innings with one earned run and five strikeouts to pick up his first career win.
Pulgados led the Aggies in the first game, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two homers and six RBI. He credited his success to seeing the ball well from the start.
“I just relaxed and slowed down as the pitcher started his motion and got balls that I could handle,” he said.
Field added to the cause with a two-hit effort, and Dejesus added a pair of hits with a home run and four runs scored.
Game 2
The Aggies carried their momentum into Game 2, starting off quick in the first inning with a Cody Knight base hit that scored Dejesus to give CU the first run of the game.
SWOSU took a 2-1 lead in the second inning with a run-scoring triple to right center field and a base-hit up the middle. But the Bulldogs’ lead did not last for long with Cameron tying the game in the bottom half with a Leno Ramirez base hit that scored catcher Cole Williams.
After two scoreless innings, the Aggies broke open the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs in the frame.
Micah Kaaukai started the six-run outburst with a single, scoring Dejesus. Cody Bower singled up the middle to drive home Kaaukai. Pulgados continued to punish SWOSU pitching with a two-run double to left before Tom McGarry added a two-run double of his own bringing home Ramirez and Pulgados for the 8-2 lead.
SWOSU scored a run in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to five, but the Aggies continued to score with a Cole Williams RBI single that brought home Kaaukai for the 9-3 lead.
The Aggies put the game away in the bottom of the seventh. Victor Dejesus made it a 10-3 game with an RBI single that scored Ramirez before Bower hit a two-run double to left driving in Kaaulai and Dejesus to bring CU’s lead to 12-3.
First baseman Anthony Acevedo finished off the game with a double to right center, scoring Bower for the run that clinched the run-rule victory.
After starter Adam Bosch pitched a pair of strong innings, Andrew Garza pitched five scoreless innings, striking out four in a performance that shut down the Bulldog offense for his second win on the season.
Dejesus led Cameron with a perfect 4-for-4 effort. Kaauaki and Bower contributed three hits each, while Williams and Acevedo added two hits apiece.
Pulgados drove in two runs to bring his total RBI count to eight between both games of the doubleheader.
The pair of wins puts the Aggies at 7-1 on the season, while SWOSU falls to 4-3. Pulgados said that, with time, this year’s team could be better than last year’s team which started off 10-0.
“All we have to do is trust each other and trust our pitching,” he said. “[And] if we clean up our defense, we will be straight.”
He added that he and the team feel confident heading into a trio of Homecoming week games against William Jewell on Feb. 17 and 18 at McCord Field.
“If we have a good week at practice, we will handle business easily,” Pulgados said. “Our pitchers [and] all of our players will be rested and ready to go. “We will all continue working this week at practice and will be ready to come out and dominate.”
After the Homecoming weekend, Cameron will play again in a three-game series against Oklahoma Christian on Feb. 24 in Edmond and Feb. 25 at McCord Field.