It was not the ideal conditions for a season opener or the outcome Northwest Missouri State was looking for as the Bearcat fell 6-5 in extra innings Friday at Central Oklahoma in non-conference baseball action.

The Bearcats dropped to 0-1 while future MIAA foe Central Oklahoma picked up its fifth win of the season to improve to 5-2. Finishing the final innings in wet and drizzling conditions forced tomorrow’s double header to be moved to Sunday as the two teams will only play a single game on Saturday starting at 2 p.m.

Behind starting pitcher Chris Green the Bearcats raced out to an early 2-0 lead plating runs in the first and third innings. Green would silence the Bronchos’ bats early as the senior pitch five solid innings, giving up only three hits while walking none and striking out five.

However, UCO would come back to tie the game, scoring a run in the home half of the seventh and eighth before both teams added a run in the ninth to force extra innings.

In the first extra frame both teams plated two as the Bearcats got a RBI double from pinch hitter Charlie Krueger and a RBI single off the bat of left fielder Jake Kretzer to put Northwest up 5-3.

UCO would push two runs across in its half of the 10th as well when JP Maples belted a homerun in the alley to left, forcing another frame.

Working out of the bullpen Nathan Horton worked a scoreless 11th inning before giving up a walk-off homerun to Kevin Blue with two outs in the bottom of the 12th giving UCO a 6-5 comeback win.

Tyler Durant had a pair of RBIs for the Bearcats and three hits on the day. Eric Swain and Cameron Bedard also had multiple hits for the Bearcats in the loss.

First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m. with a twin bill on Sunday to close out the series starting at 11 a.m. from Simmons Field.

— NWMSU Sports Information —