SHAWNEE, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team continued their hot streak with a commanding 11-4 win over Oklahoma Baptist University in a nonconference midweek battle on Tuesday in Shawnee. After falling behind early, the Tigers exploded in the late innings, highlighted by a five-run seventh, to secure the road victory.
 
With the win, ECU improves to 14-28 on the season and has now claimed 10 wins in their last 12 games, building momentum ahead of a pivotal GAC series against the University of Arkansas-Monticello on April 17-18.
 
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board, as Zac Carroll launched a solo home run in the opening frame — his fourth of the season — to give ECU an early 1-0 lead.
 
OBU answered with a run in the second and added two more in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. ECU's offense went quiet through the middle innings, but the Tigers came alive in the sixth. Mason Shimkus led off with a single, followed by a triple from Tyler Akers that drove him in. A passed ball allowed Akers to score, tying the game 3-3. Moments later, Trace Necessary singled in Weldon Sherrell to put the Tigers back in front, 4-3.
 
The Bison briefly tied things up again with a solo homer in the bottom half, but ECU responded in the seventh, erupting for five-runs. A passed ball scored Max Tremblay, and Sherrell followed with an RBI single. Carroll added a sacrifice fly to score Shimkus, Blake Seefeldt roped an RBI double, and Necessary capped the rally with another run-scoring single to stretch the lead to 9-4.
 
From there, the Tigers took control. OBU managed just one hit over the final three innings, while ECU tacked on two more runs in the ninth — both coming on Necessary's two-run home run, his third of the year, sealing the 11-4 win.
 
Tate Rico got the start for ECU, going 3.2 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out three. Ryan Dembroski came on in relief, tossing 2.1 innings and striking out four while giving up one run on three hits. Daniel Campbell shut the door with three scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and earning his first win of the season.
 
Trace Necessary led the Tigers at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run. Weldon Sherrell and Zac Carroll each collected two hits, with Carroll also driving in two runs.