FORT SMITH (KFSM)- This weekend the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Baseball team opened their season at home with a four-game series against Northwestern Oklahoma State. After three-straight days of baseball, they swept away the Rangers for a big home win.
Friday night they beat the Rangers 9-3. Then Saturday in a tough double-header they came out on top, ending it Sunday winning the four-game series 4-0. Sunday's game came down to the wire in the ninth-inning, winning 7-6 thanks to a game ending bunt by senior Ozzie Hurt.
The Diamond Lions came out of the weekend batting 0.284 with 33 hits, also they had nine doubles and one triple.
"It shows how you play in close games," said head coach Todd Holland on the series win. "A lot of times I had teams where they get in a close game and they just get nervous and nothing happens, where we have always responded when we get hit in the face and got back up and scored and scratched the run."
In Sunday's close game Senior Ozzie Hurt had a team leading two RBIs to help finish off the close win.
"Anytime you can get a sweep, that's huge," said Ozzie Hurt on the sweep. "The first one was a big win, and then we had three close ones so it's always big the pitcher's did a great job of keeping us in every game."
The Diamond Lions have a long non-conference stretch on the road, they won't be back to Crowder field until March 11th when they take on Oklahoma Panhandle State.