SHAWNEE - Finally in front of their home crowd at the Bison Softball Park, junior
Katie Long and sophomore
Aspen Younce put on a show as they shut down the Henderson State offense for a 7-5 and 2-0 victory on Friday afternoon.
For the Bison, it was their sixth straight win and their 10th win in the last 13 contests. The Bison used early offense in game one before relying on pitching and timely plays to guide the way home.
In the first contest, the Bison loaded them up in the bottom of the first in game one as
Jadyn James laced a single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. OBU couldn't capitalize in that inning, but loaded them back up in the second inning where
Kylie Kawamura drove a run in followed by a sac fly from
Emily Richardson and a two-run RBI shot from James to push the lead to 5-0.
Long was dealing despite giving up two unearned runs in the third, keeping the Reddies off balanced throughout the contest.
Leading 5-2 in the fourth, Kawamura lined a triple down the right field line to score
Shelby Savage and one batter later, Richardson earned her second sacrifice, this time via safety squeeze, to move ahead 7-2.
Henderson threatened in the seventh thanks to a home run, but Long stayed strong to earn the complete game.
Long (4-2) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out three to go with no walks.
James was 2-for-3 with a three RBI while Kawamura was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and two runs scored. Richardson drove in two via sacrifice while Savage was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.
Emily Smith and
McKenna Anderson each had a run scored.
In game two, Younce got off to a slow start as Henderson got runners on and in position including the bases loaded. However, Younce worked out of her early struggles to keep the Reddies scoreless as she continued to grow stronger as the game went on.
Tyra Garcia entered as a pinch runner for James in the second and after a ground out by
Cheyenne Demaree, took off for home and beat the throw and tag to give OBU a 1-0 advantage.
The Bison maintained that lead until James came through again with a frozen rope by the shortstop to move ahead 2-0. Younce finished off the Reddies for the complete game shutout and the doubleheader sweep to open the series.
Younce (6-4) allowed no run on five hits and struck out five. She had three early walks but recovered nicely moving forward to earn her sixth win of the year.
OBU managed four hits in the second game with two coming of the bat of Kawamura. James added a 1-for-3 day with another RBI while Smith had the other hit. Demaree drove in a run while Garcia and Kawamura each scored a run.
The Bison are over .500 for the first time this season at 10-8 and 6-0 in the GAC. They will look to win, and possibly sweep the series, as they welcome in the Reddies for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
