ADA, Okla. – The East Central University baseball team opened its final home Great American Conference series on a high note Friday afternoon, defeating Southern Arkansas University 11-5 at Ken Turner Field to extend its win streak to eight games.
 
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 17-20 overall and 13-12 in GAC play, currently sitting in sixth place in the conference standings. The eight-game streak marks the second consecutive season ECU has reached that milestone, and the 17 wins are the program's most since the 2016 season.
 
ECU will look to secure the series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. Prior to the first pitch, the Tigers will honor their seniors with a Senior Day ceremony starting at 11:05 a.m. at Ken Turner Field.
 
ECU wasted no time getting on the board, as Joey Allen delivered an RBI single in the first inning to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. Southern Arkansas answered with a pair of runs in the second and added another in the fifth to take a 3-1 advantage.
 
The Tigers began to chip away in the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Max Tremblay before Southern Arkansas extended its lead to 5-2 in the top of the sixth.
 
That's when ECU's offense erupted. The Tigers put together a dominant six-run sixth inning to take control of the game. Cooper McCage started the rally with a sacrifice fly before Tyler Akers and Donovan Noble followed with RBI singles to tie the game. Ryan Strickland then gave ECU the lead with an RBI single, and Allen came through again with a two-RBI hit to push the advantage. Pryce Jackson capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly as the Tigers surged ahead 9-5.
 
ECU added insurance in the seventh, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Tremblay to extend the lead to 11-5.
 
The Tigers' offense delivered timely hitting throughout the contest, combining aggressive baserunning with clutch at-bats to fuel the comeback victory and keep their momentum rolling.
 
ECU totaled 11 runs on 13 hits, led by an impressive performance from Tyler Akers, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Max Tremblay added 3 hits and 2 RBIs, while Joey Allen drove in a team-high 3 RBIs on 2 hits. Donovan Noble, Ryan Strickland, and Pryce Jackson each recorded an RBI, with Noble also scoring twice.
 
On the mound, Ryan Dembroski got the start, working 5.0 innings with four strikeouts while allowing four runs to keep the Tigers within striking distance. Blake Seefeldt was strong in relief, tossing 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on two hits to shut down the Southern Arkansas offense. Seefeldt earned the win, improving to 3-0 on the season, as he helped secure ECU's eighth straight victory.