#3 USAO’s Season Comes to a Close with a Split on Day Two of the NAIA Opening Round

LINCOLN, Neb. – Tuesday afternoon, the No. 3 seeded University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (35-20, 18-9 SAC) had their season ended as they split a pair of elimination games at the 2025 NAIA Baseball Opening Round. The Drovers began the day with a 6-3 victory against No. 5 Mount Mercy University, followed by a tough 11-9 loss in the second game against No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan University. 

GAME 1 vs MMU (33-23, 21-11 HAAC)

The Drovers fell behind early but managed to keep their season alive with a 6-3 win. The Mustangs immediately jumped out to the lead, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The Drovers pulled the score even at 2-2 with one run in the bottom of the third, followed by one more in the fifth. 

In the bottom of the sixth, USAO took over a 4-2 lead, courtesy of RBI-singles from Ricky Requejo and Gage Ninness. MMU scored its final run in the top of the seventh, prior to the Drovers scoring their final two insurance runs in the eighth.

As a team, the Drovers produced 11 hits and reached the bases on seven walks, while the Mustangs tallied three hits and drew three free passes. USAO was perfect on defense, and MMU committed a pair of fielding errors. 

The USAO offense was led by a trio of multi-hit performances.  Gage Ninness went 3-5 with a run scored and two runs batted in, while Ricky Requejo went 3-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Corey Morro finished 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Ian Ortiz singled, walked, and drove in a run. Gunnar Hansen went 1-4 and Nolan Herchock went 1-1 with a run scored. 

Tyson Noel got the start on the mound for the Drovers and was sensational, going 8.0 innings to improve his record to 6-4 this season. Noel allowed three runs on three hits, and he struck out five batters. Rob Schmidt earned his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

GAME 2 vs IWU (31-21, 21-15 CROSSROADS LEAGUE)

The Drovers jumped out to an early lead but ultimately suffered a season-ending 11-9 loss against the Wildcats. 

USAO pushed across three runs in the top of the first inning, highlighted by Gunnar Hansen's eighth home run of the season. However, the lead was short-lived as the Wildcats rallied for five runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Drovers evened the score at 5-5 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.

The lead was once again exchanged in the top of the sixth as Ricky Requejo drove in a run to give USAO a 6-5 advantage. IWU would once again respond with a rally of their own, striking for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-6 lead. The Wildcats added their final two insurance runs in the eighth.

Down but not out, USAO made things interesting in the ninth as Peyton McDowall launched a three-run homer in what would be his final collegiate at bat.

As a team, the Drovers produced 12 hits and reached the bases on three walks, while the Wildcats tallied seven hits and drew four free passes. Both defenses struggled, with each side committing four fielding errors. 

The USAO offense was led by four multi-hit performances, including Peyton McDowall's big game. McDowall finished 2-4 with a double, a home run (15), three runs scored, and three runs batted in. In his historic career at USAO, McDowall has appeared in 210 games and has produced a .361 batting average with 262 hits, 62 doubles, six triples, 59 home runs, 222 runs scored, and 233 runs batted in. He is the program's all-time leader in games played, at bats, hits, doubles, homers, runs scored, and runs batted in. 

Corey Morro concluded the game 3-4 with a walk and a run scored. Ian Ortiz went 2-5 with a double and two runs scored, while Ricky Requejo went 2-3 with a run batted in. 

Gunnar Hansen homered and drove in a couple of runs. Christopher Martinez went 1-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and a run batted in. Devin Alvarez also singled, walked, and scored. 

Kyler Denton got the start on the mound for the Drovers and went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, and he struck out one batter. Bode Brooks made a brief appearance, prior to Tristan Perry pitching the final 1.1 innings. 

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