Final Stats (.pdf)

ADA, Okla. – Junior southpaw Bryant Rutledge tossed a five-hit shutout as the Rams toppled over East Central, 11-0, in seven innings Friday afternoon at Tiger Field. Angelo State has now won four of its last five games and improves to 7-6 overall and 4-6 in Lone Star Conference play.

Rutledge (1-2) scattered five hits over 6.0 innings of work walking two and fanning six. He only allowed two of extra base-hits as he cruised to his first victory of the season. Rutledge received offensive support from his teammates as each Ram in the starting lineup scored at least one run.

The Rams batted around in the second inning as first baseman Zak Leonhardt led things off with a double to left-centerfield. Joseph Leftridge reached on a bunt to put runners at the corners with nobody out and Garret Harris drew a walk to load the bases. Shortstop Brent Denny, who finished the night with three RBIs, collected a walk to score Leonhardt and put the Rams up 1-0. Catcher Brian Brademan singled to left, driving in Leftridge and second baseman Zach Cohen reached on a base on balls, which plated Harris, to give Angelo State a 3-0 advantage.

ASU added to its lead in the following frame as the Rams tacked on three more runs to take a six-run lead and knock out East Central (3-8, 0-7 LSC) starter J.P. O'Leary (0-4). The Tigers could not quiet the Rams' bats as Angelo State extended its lead to eight in the top of the fourth as Travis Lites and Tate Allison crossed the plate on a Leftridge single and a Harris sacrifice fly, respectively.

In the top of the seventh, third baseman Marcellous Biggins and Brademan drew back-to-back walks. Cohen collected his second RBI of the game as he singled to left-center, scoring Biggins. After three wild pitches from Tigers' reliever Rick Hepworth, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lites plated Brademan. Allison laced a double into the leftfield gap on the next at bat to score Cohen and cap the Rams' scoring.

Leftridge finished the contest going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI, while Cohen drove in two and scored a run on one hit. Allison went 2-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored in the Rams' victory.

East Central's Mac Grace and Ethan Gold both doubled in the game collecting the Tigers' only extra-base hits in the contest. O'Leary suffered the loss after allowing eight runs, four earned, on eight hits, with four walks and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings.

The Rams and the Tigers will return to the diamond tomorrow, Feb. 26, when the two teams wrap up the three-game series with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.

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