Story contributed by Oklahoma City University Athletics

OKLAHOMA CITY - History was made at Jim Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Oklahoma City University baseball team opened the 2020 season by hosting a double-header against York College (Neb.) Panthers, and in the process, they helped head coach Denney Crabaugh reach a career milestone.

The Stars (2-0) swept the twin bill from the Panthers (0-6) by scores of 11-3 and 7-3, and the game one victory was the 1,500th career win for Crabaugh. He is the second active coach in the NAIA to reach that plateau, joining Cumberland University's Woody Hunt who is the active leader in the NAIA for career wins.

"You don't win that many ball games unless you surround yourself with good people," Crabaugh said after the day's action was complete. "I have been blessed to have a lot of good people around me, and topping that list is Keith Lytle, who has been with me for every one of those wins."

Crabaugh owns a 1,501-460-2 career record in his 32nd year as Oklahoma City head coach. He has led OCU to 14 NAIA World Series appearances, 14 50-win seasons and the 2005 national championship. He has garnered membership in the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame. Crabaugh collected his 1,000th career win Feb. 26, 2009 with a 14-3 victory over Bacone in Muskogee, Okla. Crabaugh has directed OCU to the most victories in college baseball since 1991 with 1,435.

The Stars got the day underway in style in the bottom of the first inning when Dalton Reed launched a mammoth two-run homer to right-center. Peyton Crispin and Bryson Lierle picked up RBIs on a sacrifice fly and a double, respectively, in the third, and OCU broke the game open in the fourth.

Gunner Halter singled home Noah Barks as the second batter of the inning, and two batters later, Tyler Williams crushed his first homer of the season - a 3-run blast just to the left of dead center field - to put OCU up 8-2. OCU tacked on three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by an RBI single from Evan Maun that scored Halter, and the Stars cruised to the finish with the 11-3 win.

Aaron McGeorge (1-0) earned the win on the mound for OCU, allowing two earned runs on six hits in five innings of work before yielding to Kolin Marley who gave op one earned run on one hit in two innings. McGeorge fanned eight, and Marley added one strikeout, and neither walked a batter. The loss was charged to Treyton Scully (0-2) who gave up eight runs on nine hits in four innings for the Panthers.

Williams was 2-for-4 with the homer, two runs scored and three RBIs; Lierle doubled twice in four at bats; and Barks was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Halter scored three times in the game for OCU, and Frederic Walter and Cross Factor each had a double in the game.

Both teams threatened to score in the first inning of game two, but both starting pitchers tip-toed their way into and out of jams to escape damage. York loaded the bases with two walks and a single and only one away, but OCU starter Jake Patterson notched back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. In the bottom of the frame, OCU put runners on the corners with only one down, but as OCU tried to steal a run on the bases, Factor was cut down at the plate on a well executed cut play to stifle the threat.

OCU threatened in the third, but it took until the fourth frame for OCU to break through. Crispin drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, and he scored on an RBI-double from Lierle. Lierle then crossed the plate on a throwing error after a bunt single from Walter led to a wild throw from the Panthers' Ethan Lanz.

York answered in the top of the fifth with four straight hits to tie the game at 2-2. The Panthers claimed the lead after a fielder's choice and a pitching change when a wild pitch allowed Jayson Valle to scamper home, but the Stars escaped without further damage, and in the bottom of the frame, OCU came right back. Back-to-back errors by the Panthers brought Crispin to the plate, and he walked to load the bases. One out later, Walter was plunked, forcing home Williams to tie the game at 3-3, and Barks bounced a ground ball to second, but he beat the relay throw to first to avoid the double play and allow the go-ahead run to score. Williams then blasted his second home run of the day in the sixth as a part of a 3-run inning that gave OCU a 7-3 lead.

York loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Chris Bennefield notched three strikeouts in the inning, and the Panthers left the bases loaded as the Stars took the 7-3 win to complete the sweep.

Bennefield (1-0) earned the win in relief of Patterson. Bennefield threw two and two-thirds innings of hitless baseball, he scattered three walks and struck out five. Garrett Ewing (0-1) took the loss for York, as he allowed five runs on four hits in two innings of work.

Halter singled twice, and he was the only OCU player to record a multi-hit game in game two, though Crispin did draw a pair of walks in the game.

The teams will conclude the weekend set on Sunday with another double-header. First pitch of the day is slated for Noon.