Kade Kauk. Photo provided.
UCO’s Luke Yost was able to feel both the lowest of lows and the highest of highs in the thrilling 6-5 Broncho win over Missouri Southern University on Tuesday.
Yost came in to close out the contest nursing a 4-2 lead, but gave up three runs in the top of the ninth on three hits, a walk and an error, giving the Lions what appeared to be a game-sealing 5-4 lead going into the game’s final frame.
Then, with everything on the line in the home half of the ninth inning, Yost had a rare opportunity to redeem himself just moments after handing over the lead.
With two outs and with two runners in scoring position, Yost tucked the game’s final pitch – on two strikes – just inside the right-field line, scoring Tucker and Taylor Brown to wrench victory from the jaws of catastrophic defeat in dramatic fashion.
UCO opened the scoring, notching the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Schoonover drew a walk with two outs, then stole second base before being brought home on John Bryant’s RBI single to right field.
The Lions didn’t wait long to answer, scoring a run on three hits in the top of the second, and another in their very next frame to take a 2-1 third inning lead.
UCO brought some more offense in the bottom of the fourth, when Jordan Mullin stole second and was brought home on Taylor Brown’s RBI hit.
Taylor Brown crossed the plate on the very next batter when Tucker Brown singled to left field, giving the Bronchos a 3-2 lead at the contest’s halfway point.
The Bronchos would tack on one insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Arrow Cunningham’s sacrifice RBI, and UCO would have a 4-2 lead going into the final two frames.
Yost came in to close out the game in the top of the ninth, but struggled on the mound, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk to go with an error at first base by Cody Cole.
Down two in the bottom of the ninth, Yost would come up to bat with something that athletes rarely get through the course of one game: a second chance. In the end, Yost would deliver.
“We made a couple of big mistakes in the ninth to let them get the lead, but fortunately we were able to come back,” UCO head coach said to bronchosports.com. “We had some guys come through for us at the end when we really needed them to.”
Yost led the offense for the Bronchos on Tuesday, finishing with two hits in five at bats and two RBI. Cunningham went two for three with an RBI, and Taylor Brown went three for five and batted in one RBI.
Tucker Brown and Bryant each had one RBI, and Mullin and Schoonover each stole a base.
Nine different Bronchos pitched against Missouri Southern, but Yost (1-0) would notch the win after being attributed with a blown save and being the only UCO hurler to give up more than one run.
The win brings UCO back to even at 3-3 on the season, and the Bronchos are 2-0 within the friendly confines of Broncho Field.
The Bronchos are back in action at home tomorrow against the 7-5 Javelinas of Texas A&M Kingsville.
