Point Lookout, MO - College of the Ozarks came up on the short end of a home doubleheader Tuesday in Point Lookout, falling 4-1 and 3-1 to Evangel (Mo.) despite solid pitching and a pair of timely extra-base hits from the Bobcats’ lineup.

In Game one at Coach Bob Smith Field, Evangel built an early cushion and made it stand in a 4-1 decision over seven innings. The visitors struck for two runs in the top of the first on a run-scoring double by Quenton Edwards to right field, with a miscue from the outfield allowing a second run to cross. Evangel added single runs in the fourth and sixth to push the advantage to 4-0 before the Bobcats broke through in their final at-bat.

Hunter Lewis delivered the biggest swing of the opener for College of the Ozarks, driving a solo home run to right in the bottom of the seventh to spoil the shutout and cut the deficit to 4-1. The Bobcats finished with five hits and left eight runners on base, putting traffic on throughout the day but unable to find a multi-run inning against an Evangel staff that piled up 10 strikeouts. Evangel’s Reilly Fuller was particularly effective out of the bullpen, fanning five over 2.0 hitless, scoreless innings to close out the game.

Offensively, Evangel’s top of the order set the tone in the opener. Edwards went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Evan Jno-Baptiste and Matthew Olson each added two hits. Jno-Baptiste singled home a run in the fourth, and Olson scored twice and stole a base as Evangel steadily extended its lead. The Bobcats’ pitching staff allowed nine hits but limited the damage to three earned runs over seven innings and struck out two, keeping College of the Ozarks within striking distance into the late frames.

Game two followed a similar pattern, with Evangel again capitalizing early and the Bobcats’ offense fighting to claw back in a 3-1 loss. Evangel pushed across two runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of a catcher error to score Jno-Baptiste before Edwards lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. College of the Ozarks tightened defensively from there, holding Evangel off the board until the sixth.

The Bobcats’ best surge in the nightcap came in the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 2-0, College of the Ozarks cut the deficit in half when Ty Rush drove a double into the right-center gap to plate a run and bring the score to 2-1. However, Evangel answered in the top of the sixth as pinch-hitter Cole Leonhart delivered a key RBI single to left, scoring Dylan Michaelson to restore a two-run cushion at 3-1. That insurance run proved decisive as the Bobcats were held off the board over the final two frames.

College of the Ozarks managed three hits in the second game and again left four runners on base, while the pitching staff turned in a competitive effort by surrendering just four hits and one earned run over seven innings with four strikeouts. Evangel’s staff, meanwhile, continued its strong day on the mound, limiting the Bobcats to one run for the second straight contest. Reliever Carson Dobberstein earned the win with 2.0 innings of one-hit work and two strikeouts, and Mason Reilly recorded the final outs to pick up the save.

With the doubleheader behind them, the Bobcats turn their attention to a stretch of upcoming home dates, including a four game stretch at home in the Battle of the Hills event on Friday and Saturday. The Bobcats will look to build on the positives from Tuesday’s pitching performances and timely extra-base hits as the lineup seeks to convert more of its scoring opportunities in the weeks ahead.