EDMOND, OK- The Cougars continued play at Central Oklahoma on Saturday with a single nine inning contest against the Bronchos. In a back and forth battle that came down to the very end, CCU ended up falling 8-7 to the hosts. 

After two scoreless innings, UCO struck with a solo homer in the third and fourth to take a 2-0 lead. The teams remained scoreless until the sixth when the offenses found new life and began to light up the scoreboard. 

CCU scored their first run off an Aidan Welsh double that plated Nathan Mensen, and they quickly tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single from Mason Hagel-Pitt. Ethan Kang singled Hagel-Pitt home to give his team a 3-2 lead. The Bronchos responded with three runs in their half of the sixth to go up 5-3, but the Cougars were not done yet. 

A second consecutive big inning started with a pair of runs coming home to tie things on a throwing error by the shortstop, and a wild pitch plated Welsh as suddenly the visitors went on top 6-5. Zeke Bote notched an RBI sac fly as Colorado Christian rallied to go back up two at 7-5. Central Oklahoma had one last rally in them, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh and shutting down CCU the next two innings to close out the nailbiting 8-7 victory. 

Welsh led the offense with a pair of RBI, while Hagel-Pitt, Bote and Mensen picked up an RBI apiece. Austin DeMello pitched a perfect eighth as he gave his team a chance in the ninth with the shutdown frame. 

The Cougars will close their series in Edmond with one final contest tomorrow February 15 at 11 a.m. MST at Wendell Simmons Field.