OCU Beats Culver-Stockton 8-0

The Oklahoma City University Stars started baseball season off with an 8-0 win over Culver-Stockton (Mo.) on Friday at OKC's Jim Wade Stadium.

The Stars, ranked fourth in the NAIA, benefited from Cody Ferrell's two-run home run and Chris Muñoz's grand slam, while Cody Crabaugh picked up the victory.

Ferrell, a senior from McLoud, notched OCU's first hit of the year. Ferrell followed Jonathan Sigado's walk by turning on a 2-0 pitch and launching the ball over the left-field wall with one out in the bottom of the third inning.

In the fourth, Ferrell drew a two-out bases-loaded walk to score Forrest Smith and put OCU ahead 3-0. Muñoz pounded the first pitch of the next at-bat past the right-field wall to increase the Stars' advantage to 7-0. Kale Gaden had reached on a hit by pitch, and Sigado had drawn a base on balls before scoring on Muñoz's homer.

Chris Wallis nailed an RBI single to left field for the Stars' eighth run in the fifth. Culver-Stockton starting pitcher Cyrus Wimberly was finished after that.

Crabaugh, a senior right-hander from Edmond, shut Culver-Stockton out through five innings. Crabaugh struck out four and allowed three hits, three walks and two hit basemen. Crabaugh notched 80 pitches, 46 for strikes.

Ricky Spain combined with Crabaugh on the whitewash. Spain, a redshirt freshman from Norman, retired Culver-Stockton cleanup hitter Jason Schwartz on a called third strike in the first batter Spain has faced as a Star. Spain worked two innings, allowed two hits and fanned two.

Ferrell went 1-for-1, scored twice, drew two walks and drove in three runs, while Smith, a junior from Bakersfield, Calif., was 1-for-2 with a run scored. Wallis, a junior from Albuquerque, N.M., went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Jonathan Rodriguez, a junior from Anaheim, Calif., went 1-for-3 and scored a run.

OCU meets Culver-Stockton at 10 a.m., then 23rd-ranked Doane (Neb.) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jim Wade Stadium.