2012 GAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HOME PAGE

ENID, Okla. – No. 4 seed Arkansas Tech became the only lower seeded team to record a win on the opening day of the inaugural Great American Conference Baseball Championship Tournament with an 8-4, 11-inning (BOX SCORE) victory over No. 3 seed Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday evening at the David AllenMemorial Ballpark.

Southwestern Oklahoma State (27-18) opened the scoring with a single run ineach of the second and third innings, including a solo homerun by Tyler Wells in the second.

Arkansas Tech (26-25) used doubles from Nate Wilder and Chris Abreu in the fifth inning to plate four runs in the frame and take a 4-2 lead.
 
SWOSU answered in the bottom of the frame with a pair of unearned runs to force a4-all tie.
 
That score held throughout the remainder of regulation, forcing the league’s first ever extra inning affair in the postseason championship tournament.

ATU broke through in the top of the 11th inning for four runs, taking advantage of a throwing error with the bases loaded. All four runs for ATU in the 11th were unearned.

The Bulldogs were not able to answer in the bottom of the inning.

Stephen Thompson (3-2) recorded the win for the Wonder Boys in relief after not allowing a hit in the final four innings, while striking out four and walking just one of the 14 batters he faced. SWOSU’s David Francis (2-5) took the loss, allowing four runs (all unearned) off two hits with four strikeouts and twowalks in 3.1 innings of work.

Arkansas Tech is now set to face No. 2 seed Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday at 7 p.m., while Southwestern Oklahoma State must now face off against top-seeded Southern Arkansas on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.