OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - The Cougar Baseball team headed to southern Indiana to battle the Mighty Oaks of Oakland City in River States Conference series number three of the season, beginning with a doubleheader Friday. Oakland City scored 11 runs in each game en-route to a pair of close wins, clinching a series victory.

Saturday's series finale was pushed back to Monday (3/17), as inclement weather struck the Oakland City area overnight Friday ahead of a wet Saturday and Sunday. The forecast for Monday is much improved, with sunny skies and temperatures as high as 58 degrees on the docket.

Game One: 11-8 Loss (Nine Innings)

• Oakland City was first on the scoreboard, scoring two runs in the first and one in the second for a 3-0 lead through two complete.
• IU Kokomo responded with a three-spot in the third however, evening the game 3-3.
• In the three-run third, nine-hole Noah Wolf walked to turn the lineup over for lead-off man Alex Janke, who doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Both Wolf and Janke would score on a Mighty Oak throwing error one at-bat later, before Mason Janz scored an unearned run on a Gavin Smith RBI groundout.
• The Cougars would take their first lead of the game in the fourth, as sophomore infielder Brayden Coffey's solo home-run with no outs in the fourth gave IUK a 4-3 lead.
• The Mighty Oaks pushed three runs of their own across in the home-half of the fourth, re-taking the lead at 6-4 thru four complete.
• Interim Head Coach Jeremy Honaker's team showcased their resiliency once again, answering the OCU three-spot with three runs in the top of the fifth, re-gaining a one-run lead at 7-6.
• In the fifth for IUK, Janz led off the inning with a solo-shot, cutting what was a two-run deficit in half. After a one-out single off the bat of Kasey Ross, junior outfielder Payton Hankins left the yard for a two-run homer, allowing the Cougars to re-take the lead at 7-6.
• Oakland City's first hitter of the fifth reached ahead of Josh Russell, who left the yard to make it an 8-7 Mighty Oak lead thru five innings.
• A lead-off bomb in the bottom of the sixth extended the OCU lead to two before the Cougars got one back in the seventh. Hankins came through once again with an RBI single, scoring Smith to make it a 9-8 Oakland City lead in the middle of the seventh.
• The host Mighty Oaks scored the final two runs of the game in their half of the seventh on three hits and an error, taking a three-run lead into the final two innings. Oakland City would close out the 11-8 win in the series opener ahead of game two in Friday's DH.

Pitching Lines: 

• Brett Huiner made the weekend opening start for IU Kokomo once again Friday at Oakland City, taking the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season. Huiner allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two free passes, striking out three in four and two-thirds innings of work.
• Logan Greer relieved Huiner, tossing an inning and a third. Greer surrendered three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out four.
• Six-foot seven inch Sophomore RHP Koen Berry threw the final two innings out of the bullpen in Friday's game one, facing the minimum while walking a man.

Game Two: 11-7 Loss (Seven Innings)

• Game two of Friday's series opening doubleheader proved to be front-loaded with runs, as the two teams combined for eight first inning runs and 16 runs in the opening three frames.
• Mason Janz and and Jacob Medvescek each singled for IUK in the top of the first ahead of Kasey Ross, who launched his second home run of the season to give the Cougars an early 3-0 lead. Payton Hankins drew a walk and stole second in the frame, scoring on a Brayden Coffey RBI single to make it 4-0 IU Kokomo after a half inning.
• The Mighty Oaks returned the favor in the home-half of the first, putting up four runs of their own on three hits to even the game at four through one.
• IU Kokomo senior outfielder Alex Janke singled and later advanced to third via an error in the second, crossing the plate on a sacrifice-fly off the bat of Janz.
• Trailing 5-4, Oakland City left the yard three times in the second en-route to a five-run frame, taking a 9-5 lead.
• Oakland City's final two runs of the game came in the third, as they pushed two across for a commanding 11-5 lead with four innings to play.
• The Cougars final two runs of the contest came via another home-run off the bat of Payton Hankins, his second of the day. Hankins has been finding a groove at the plate, as his two-run shot in the fifth cut the IUK deficit to four.
• The Mighty Oaks kept IU Kokomo off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh, closing out an 11-7 win over the Cougars in game two of Friday's doubleheader

Pitching Lines:

• Mason Whiteley made the start in game two for IU Kokomo and took the loss, giving up nine earned runs on six hits and two walks, striking out three.
• Kaleb Shelton entered for the final two outs of the second before leaving in the third, as he was responsible for two earned runs after allowing a hit and a free pass.
• Nathan Stanley delivered another strong outing in what has been a bit of a breakout senior season, tossing two and two-thirds of scoreless ball while allowing just one base-runner.
• Tyler Hensch worked an efficient sixth inning on the mound for the Cougars, facing the minimum as he struck out a pair.

As mentioned, the Cougars will return to Oakland City and Konkler Field Monday for the final game of a three-game RSC set, with the time of first pitch tentatively set for 6:00 PM ET.

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For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.