Alva, Okla. -- J.C. Aguayo pitched six innings to get the win and went 4-of-5 at the dish with two RBI to lead the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers to a series-opening 15-5 win over the Mid-America Christian Evangels Thursday afternoon (Apr. 21) at Myers Stadium in Alva, Okla. 

Vincent Valdez opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, but Luis Martinez put the Evangels in front with a two-run shot in the top of the third. 

The Rangers answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third to go up 3-2.

An error in the bottom of the fourth led to two unearned runs that gave the Rangers a three-run lead. 

After MACU scored a run in the fifth, the Rangers plated two runs on wild pitches and another on an RBI double by Patrick Johnson Jr. to take control with an 8-3 advantage. 

The Evangels clawed back to within three runs on a two-run homer by Jose Flores in the top of the sixth. 

The Rangers added a run in the seventh and then put it away with a six-run eighth inning, powered by a solo homer by Joe Cervantes and a three-run blast by Clint Dodds to end the game on the run rule. 

Martinez was 3-of-4 at the plate, with a run scored and two RBI for the Evangels. 

Aguayo allowed five runs and struck out five in his six innings of work and also drove in two runs.   

The Evangels and Rangers will take a day off tomorrow and conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon (Apr. 23) at 1 p.m. at the James Curtis Complex in OKC.