ADA, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team used a late rally to secure a thrilling 9-6 victory over Oklahoma Baptist University in the series finale Monday afternoon at Ken Turner Field. Blake Seefeldt delivered the decisive blow for the Tigers, launching a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning to cap the comeback win.
 
With the victory, ECU improves to 4-8 in Great American Conference play and will return to the diamond Tuesday for a midweek matchup against Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 2 p.m. in Ada.
 
ECU jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tyler Akers crossed the plate on an RBI single from Ryan Strickland before Joey Allen followed with an RBI double down the right-field line to score Strickland and give the Tigers a 2-0 advantage.
 
Oklahoma Baptist answered in the third with an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1 before taking control in the fourth inning. The Bison plated five runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-RBI triple and a two-RBI double, along with a run that scored on a wild pitch to take a 6-2 lead.
 
The Tigers began to chip away in the bottom half of the fourth when Logan Jeske blasted a two-run home run to left field, bringing home Mason Shimkus and trimming the deficit to 6-4.
 
After several scoreless innings, ECU continued its push in the eighth. Mason Shimkus started the rally with an RBI double down the left-field line to score Cooper McCage and make it a one-run game. Moments later, Seefeldt delivered the biggest hit of the day, sending a towering grand slam over the left-field fence to score Jeske, Donovan Noble, and Shimkus and give the Tigers a 9-6 lead.
 
ECU utilized five pitchers in the victory, with Andrew Black providing a key outing in the middle innings. Black tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four to keep the Tigers within striking distance during the comeback.
 
Presley Tully started the game for ECU, working 3.2 innings with four strikeouts, while Zane Wilson added 0.2 innings of relief with a strikeout. Cooper Ewing earned the win after throwing a scoreless eighth inning, and Evan Groh closed the door in the ninth, striking out one to record his first save of the season and secure the 9-6 victory.
 
Blake Seefeldt delivered the biggest swing of the game, launching a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning for his lone hit of the afternoon and four RBIs.
 
Joey Allen paced the Tigers at the plate with a 3-for-5 performance and an RBI, while Ryan Strickland added two hits and an RBI. Max Tremblay and Cooper McCage each recorded two hits, helping keep the offense moving throughout the contest.
 
Logan Jeske finished with a two-run home run and two runs scored, while Mason Shimkus added a hit, scored twice, and drove in a run with his eighth-inning RBI double that sparked the Tigers' rally. Donovan Noble also chipped in with a hit and later scored during the decisive eighth inning.