ADA, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team earned a thrilling midweek victory on Tuesday afternoon, defeating Southwestern Oklahoma State University in a rollercoaster 15-14 walk-off at Ken Turner Field. The Tigers overcame multiple swings in momentum and erased a late deficit before Ryan Strickland delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.
 
ECU will now return to Great American Conference play March 13-14 when the Tigers host Harding University at Ken Turner Field.
 
ECU jumped out to a strong start in the bottom of the first inning, plating five runs to take early control. Blake Seefeldt highlighted the frame with a bases-clearing double to center field that scored Ryan Strickland, Cooper McCage and Tyler Akers. Pryce Jackson followed with an RBI single that allowed Seefeldt to score on an error before DeAngelo Morales added another run-scoring single up the middle to extend the Tigers' lead to 5-0.
 
SWOSU responded with a pair of runs in the second, but ECU quickly pushed its advantage back to four runs when Max Tremblay drove in Tyler Akers with a single in the bottom half of the inning.
 
The Tigers added three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 9-2. Strickland delivered a two-run double down the left-field line that brought home Tremblay and McCage, and Bill McCarter followed with an RBI triple to right center to score Strickland.
 
The Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the deficit over the next few innings before a big seventh inning completely shifted the momentum. Southwestern Oklahoma State scored five runs in the top of the seventh to take its first lead of the afternoon at 11-9.
 
East Central answered immediately in the bottom of the inning. Cooper McCage tied the game with a two-run double down the right-field line that scored Joey Allen and McCarter, and Max Tremblay followed with an RBI single to bring home Tyler Akers and give ECU a 12-11 advantage.
 
The back-and-forth contest continued in the eighth as the Bulldogs regained the lead with three runs to move ahead 14-12. Once again, the Tigers responded. Logan Jeske drove in a run on a fielder's choice before Akers delivered an RBI single to right field that tied the game at 14-14 heading into the final inning.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, ECU completed the comeback. Lucas Barnes came around to score when Strickland ripped a double to left center, giving the Tigers the walk-off 15-14 victory and capping off one of the most dramatic games of the season.
 
Max Tremblay led the Tigers at the plate with a huge performance, going 5-for-6 with two RBIs and a run scored to pace the ECU offense in the high-scoring victory. Ryan Strickland also had a big day, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored, including the walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth that sealed the win.
 
Tyler Akers reached base consistently throughout the game, going 2-for-2 with four walks, three runs scored and an RBI at the top of the lineup. Cooper McCage added two hits and two RBIs while scoring twice, highlighted by a two-run double in the seventh inning that helped ECU rally back.
 
Bill McCarter contributed two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Blake Seefeldt drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double in the first inning that helped the Tigers build an early lead. Pryce Jackson also added an RBI, while DeAngelo Morales recorded a run-scoring single as ECU totaled 15 runs on 18 hits in the win.
 
Tagen Conary made the start for the Tigers, working 4.1 innings while allowing seven hits and five runs with two strikeouts. Drew Sheppard followed in relief and recorded two outs, allowing one run.
 
Jakob Brandenberger tossed one inning, while Trace McDaniels provided a key scoreless frame, holding the Bulldogs without a hit in his inning of work.
 
Simon Baker added two-thirds of an inning in relief before Holden Conner closed the door late for ECU. Conner earned the win, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out three and not allowing a hit to help secure the Tigers' 15-14 walk-off victory.