MONTICELLO – Junior Richard Atwood smashed a three-run walk-off home run to give the University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team a 6-3 win over Central Oklahoma in extra innings, ending UAM’s 41-game losing streak. Central Oklahoma won the first game 9-6 in extra innings.
 
Both games were scheduled to last only seven innings. The first game was pushed to nine innings, while the second game ended in the bottom of the eighth frame.
 
“It took a total team effort to get this first win,” said head coach Carlos James. “I have been telling them all along they needed to pull together and become a united team. I am very proud of our team today and they way they have responded to the challenge.”
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, UAM’s lone senior, Ben Turner (Greenville, Miss.), tallied a pinch-hit RBI single through the right side of the infield to score junior Blaine Ivey (Baton Rouge, La.), tying the game at 3-all. Ivey reached on a double down the left field line earlier in the inning.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Ivey reached on an error by the shortstop with two outs, representing the winning run. Junior Rod Williams (Booneville, Miss.) was struck by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Atwood (Vancleave, Miss.) followed with the game-winning homerun over the left field fence.
 
“When I saw that ball flying through the air, I saw all of those losses and all of the pressure float right along with it,” said James about Atwood’s blast. “I think our team will respond well to this win, but we still have a lot of work to do. We’ll celebrate today, but tomorrow, it’s back to business.”
 
The other UAM runs came in the bottom of the second stanza. Atwood earned his first RBI of the game with a double to right-center, scoring Ivey, who singled through the left side of the infield to lead off the inning. Two batters later, junior Matt Whiting (Monticello, Ark.) plated Atwood with an RBI-groundout to the shortstop.
 
Junior Chance Adams (Ocean Springs, Miss.) recorded UAM’s first win after pitching the final third of the top of the eighth inning. UCO’s Nolan Maher was given the loss after allowing Ivey to reach base. Maher was pulled for Zac Wallis, who gave up the homerun to Atwood.
 
Atwood finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored.
 
In the first game, UAM used a three-run seventh inning to force the contest into extra frames. Two of those runs came from the bat of junior pinch-hitter Matt Gardner (West Monroe, La.) with a single up the middle, scoring junior Craig Caldwell (West Monroe, La.) and junior Matthew Lewis (Amory, Miss.). Lewis reached with a double down the left field line, followed by Caldwell drawing a walk.
 
Freshman Wayne Hawkins (Memphis, Tenn.) recorded the other RBI with a single through the right side of the infield, scoring Atwood, who reached on error to lead off the inning.
 
UCO responded with two runs in the top of the eighth inning, followed by UAM answering in the bottom half with a pair of sacrifice flies, starting with junior Ariel Mercedes (Oreido, Fla.) to left field, followed by Ben Turner’s sac fly to deep center field.
 
In the top of the ninth, UCO scored three runs off one hit and one UAM error. The Weevils were unable to answer in the bottom half. Adams recorded the loss, giving up five runs (all earned) in the final three innings of the contest.
 
UAM moves to 1-3 overall this season, while UCO moves to 1-1 after its season-opening games.
 
The two squads conclude the three-game series tomorrow (Sunday) with a nine-inning affair starting at 12 p.m.