Nate Hemm and Brett Nightingale each blasted three-run home runs and Michael Gunter tossed his seventh complete game of the season as the No. 21-ranked Angelo State Rams (46-17) defeated the No. 4-ranked, and regional's top seed, Ouachita Baptist Tigers 8-1 in their first-ever game in the NCAA DII South Central Regional on Thursday afternoon in Arkadelphia, Ark., on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University at Rab Rogers Field.

Hemm's blast, his third of the season, came with one-out in the top of the fourth as he sent a 3-2 fastball 400 feet into the tennis courts in right field. Jimmy Cox, who had led off the inning with a base-on-balls, and LSC Tournament MVP Daniel Ochs, who reached on a single through the left side of the infield, preceded Hemm across the plate to give the Rams a 3-0 lead.

Nightingale's shot, his seventh in 2007, came with two outs in the sixth on a 2-1 pitch and landed in an oak tree 385 feet away from home plate in left center. He drove in Bucky Strickland, who had reached on an infield single, and Hemm, who ripped a single into center to push ASU's lead to 6-0.

That was all the runs that Gunter needed as he kept OBU off balance all day using both sides of the plate. Gunter surrendered only four hits and one earned while striking out one and walking one. The win improved his record to 9-5 on the season while OBU's starter Keith Barrett took the loss, his first of the year against 11 wins.

The Rams next face the fourth-seeded, and No. 24-ranked, St. Edward's Hilltopperson Friday afternoon. First pitch will be at 12:45 p.m. and can be heard by clicking on Angelo Audio at www.angelosports.com. Live stats can be viewed on the internet at www.obu.edu/athletics and clicking on the NCAA Baseball Championships banner on the right of the web page.