It was a busy weekend for all involved in Omaha Athletics this past weekend, with 12 games across four sports in three different cities.
Starting with Omaha baseball, they played host to a double header against Portland on Friday afternoon, sweeping the visitors from the Pacific Northwest. The first game was a pitching duel won by Omaha’s Joey Machado, notching six scoreless innings and improving to 2-1 on the year.
The Mavericks won game one 1-0, with the lone run being scored by Grant Goldston via a Brett Bonar RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.
Game two provided more runs, finishing 7-5 in favor of the hosts. Portland put Omaha in a four-run hole by the fifth inning, but the Mavericks came storming back.
Omaha’s Chris Esposito and Garrett Kennedy notched their first homeruns in Crimson and Black, with Gavin Pitts also picking up two RBI’s in the victory.
The baseball team also took on cross-town rivals Creighton on Saturday night at TD Ameritrade Ballpark. Omaha exploded into a 6-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back, winning the game 8-1.
This marked Omaha’s first win over Creighton since April 2014, and takes the Mavericks to 10-4 on the year. Their next series is a home-stand against conference foe North Dakota State on March 13, 14 and 15.
The softball team went west this weekend to participate in the Northern Colorado Tournament. In five games, Omaha won three and lost two.
The Mavericks swept the University of Northern Iowa, winning both games against the Panthers 6-1 and 3-1, respectively.
Their other win came off of Utah Valley, thrashing the Wolverines 10-2 in their first of two games on Saturday. Omaha was swept by the hosts after Northern Colorado won the Friday game 2-1 and the Sunday game 9-1.
The Mavericks currently sit at 12-12 on the year, and next travel to Saint Louis to take on SLU, Purdue Fort Wayne, Lipscomb, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
Omaha Hockey wrapped up their regular season with a home series against bitter rivals, and second-best team in the country, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
Game one was a hard-fought battle, headlined by a heroic performance from freshman goaltender Austin Roden.
Roden, who usually plays backup to fellow first-year Isaiah Saville, had to come on in the latter stages of the first period when Saville took a devastating hit to the head and had to be helped off the ice (possible concussion). Roden proceeded to make 27 saves and earn the win for the Mavericks, their second on the year against ND.
The Mavericks’ goalscorers were Nate Knoepke, Kirby Proctor, Ryan Brushett and Zach Jordan. North Dakota’s Colton Poolman got the lone goal for the visitors.
Game two was a much different story, with North Dakota seemingly waking up on the ice. The Hawk’s crushed the Mavericks 5-0, spoiling the party as Omaha celebrated their five seniors.
North Dakota’s onslaught was led by Jacob Bernard-Docker, picking up two goals and an assist, followed by Cole Smith, Colton Poolman and Westin Michaud who all found the back of the net once. Omaha next travels to take on Denver in the first round of the NCHC playoffs in a best-of-three series this coming weekend.
Going to Sioux Falls for the Summit League tournaments, the women’s basketball team was always going to be up against it as the eight seed.
The Mavericks took on South Dakota, who came into the Danny Samford Premier Center ranked first in the conference and 17th nationally.
The Coyotes exploded in the first half, scoring 64 points and waltzing to a 46-point lead at halftime.
Omaha had two players in double digits, with Ella Ogier scoring 13 points and Mariah Murdie finishing with 10.
Omaha eventually lost 99-40, ending their season with a record of 7-23 and have since announced that head coach Brittany Lange’s contract will not be renewed in the offseason.
Finally, the weekend concluded with Omaha men’s basketball’s first round matchup against #4 seeded Oral Roberts in the fourth seed versus the fifth seed contest.
Omaha couldn’t get the lid off the basket in this one, shooting a total 27 percent from the floor and 21 percent from beyond the arch.
Meanwhile, Oral Roberts had four players in double digits, with Max Abmas leading the team with 20 points.
The Golden Eagles soared to a 79-52 win, ending Omaha’s season at 16-16.
The Mavericks did take one positive statistic away from the contest, with Matt Pile’s 21 rebounds tying the Summit League tournament’s single-game record. The junior finished the campaign averaging a team-high ten rebounds a game.
