ALVA, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team closed out its weekend series against Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday with a doubleheader but came up short in both contests, falling 5–1 in game one before dropping an 11-inning battle, 2–1, in the finale to surrender the series.
 
Game One | NWOSU 5, ECU 1
ECU struck first in the opening inning when Tyler Akers launched a solo home run to give the Tigers an early 1–0 advantage. However, that would be the only run ECU managed in the contest.
 
Northwestern evened the score in the fourth inning before taking the lead in the fifth on a solo home run to make it 2–1.
 
The Rangers added insurance in the sixth inning, beginning with an RBI double and a grounded out to third base that drove in another run to extend the lead to 4–1.
 
The Rangers capped its scoring in the eighth with an RBI single up the middle, bringing the final score to 5–1.
 
Akers led the way, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run, driving in the Tigers' lone run and showing his offensive spark at the top of the lineup. Max Tremblay and Ryan Strickland each added a hit, while pinch-hitter Joey Allen also reached safely in his lone at-bat.
 
Presley Tully took the mound for the Tigers and pitched 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 5. Greyson Christian faced a short spot on the mound, giving up 2 runs but helping bridge the game to the bullpen. Caleb Peek closed out the contest with three solid innings, allowing just one run on 3 three hits while striking out one and recording multiple flyouts and groundouts.
 
Game Two | NWOSU 5, ECU 1
The Rangers struck first in the top of the first inning with an RBI groundout to make it 1–0.
 
The Tigers responded in the second inning with an RBI sacrifice fly from Mason Shimkus that scored Joey Allen to even the game at 1–1.
 
The contest remained deadlocked through regulation, with both teams' pitching and defense keeping runs to a minimum.
 
In the 11th inning, though, Northwestern scored the game-winning run on an RBI play following a single and an ECU fielding error, making it 2–1 and ending the game.
 
It was a hard-fought battle for ECU, who showed resilience throughout the extra innings but couldn't push across the tying run in the finale.
 
Ryan Dembroski delivered a stellar outing for ECU, pitching nine innings while allowing just two hits and one earned run, striking out three, and keeping the Tigers in the game throughout regulation.
 
Joey Allen scored the Tigers' lone run on a single, while Mason Shimkus drove in the RBI. Cooper McCage had a solid showing with 2 hits, and Tyler Akers, Ryan Strickland, Pryce Jackson, and Logan Jeske each added a hit to keep the Tigers competitive.