LUBBOCK, Texas - After a tough opening weekend, especially at the plate, the Oklahoma Baptist softball team turned it around in a big way as they pounded out 25 hits and plated 22 runs to take a pair of wins on Friday over Texas Permian Basin and New Mexico Highlands at the Lubbock Christian Invitational.
In the first game against the Falcons, OBU faced an early 3-0 deficit before scoring 11 unanswered runs including an eight run seventh inning to take the 11-3 win. They responded by rallying twice in game two against the Cowgirls including three runs in the bottom of the ninth to take the 11-10 extra inning win.
OBU fell behind 3-0 early on going into the third inning as
Aspen Younce came in relief. She proceeded to pitch a gem, going 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on five hits to go with 10 strikeouts.
The Bison offense got rolling in the third inning as
Kylie Kawamura laced a two-out RBI double to score
Makaylah Hunt and cut the deficit 3-1. The Bison would even the game at three in the fifth as
Katelyn Marsh stepped to the plate with out and smacked a double of her own to drive two in.
The game was even going into the top of the seventh inning before an epic eight run seventh blew the game wide open.
Emily Richardson and Marsh were both hit by pitches while
Jadyn James singled to load the bases with one out.
It set up
Cheyenne Demaree who singled right up the middle to score two and put OBU ahead for the first time at 5-3. Hunt followed with a fielders choice to ncrease the lead to 6-3.
McKenna Anderson grounded out to score another run,
Shelby Savage singled to drive another one in, and Kawamura singled as a throwing error during the play brought home another run to make it a 9-3 game.
Emily Smith put the finishing touches on a big game with a two-run bomb to left to make it 11-3 and put the Bison in the driver's seat for their first win. Younce finished the game with back-to-back strikeouts to finish off the Falcons, earning her first career win.
Richardson went 2-for-3 with a RBI and run scored while Smith was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. Savage was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI while Kawamura was 2-for-5 with a RBI and run scored. Hunt scored a pair of runs including a hit while Demaree had the go-ahead hit and runs batted in.
OBU came that evening and got into a shootout with New Mexico Highlands. After following behind 1-0, Marsh drove in a pair of runs on a RBI double for a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the first. Demaree would follow with a RBI single in the third to make it a 3-1 game.
However, the Cowgirls responded with a five run fourth inning to move back ahead 6-3. OBU began to chip away beginning in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two RBI single from Hunt to cut the deficit to one.
In the sixth, the Bison moved back ahead after loading the bases as Marsh drove one in on a single while Demaree had a great at bat, forcing a walk to put OBU ahead 7-6. However, New Mexico Highlands got one back in the seventh to even the game at seven and more the game into extras.
In the extra frame, the Cowgirls struck in the eighth to move ahead 8-7, but OBU got a James RBI single to even it back and force another extra inning. However, New Mexico Highland got two this time in the ninth to go back ahead 10-8.
It brought up another epic inning for OBU and an incredible ending for the Bison. Using the international rule, Anderson was placed on second and Savage reached on a throwing error, scoring a run to make it 10-9. Savage stole second and Kawamura would then reach on an error, scoring another run and evening the game at 10 a piece.
Following a bunt from Smith to move Kawamura to third after she advanced on a wild pitch, Richardson would walk and set up Marsh, who laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Kawamura and give the Bison an incredible 11-10 come-from-behind win and a perfect 2-0 day.
Marsh was incredible, finished 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI while James and Hunt were both 2-for-5 with Hunt driving a pair in. Demaree added another two RBI game while Kawamura and Richardson each scored three times in the contest.
Kayleigh Jones pitched three innings in the start for OBU while
Katie Long had an inning of work. Younce would finish the game with five innings including a seven strikeout performance, earning her second win of the day to move to 2-2 overall.
With the win, OBU moves to 2-5 on the young year and returns to action on Saturday with a pair of games to close the invitational, beginning at 10 AM against Chadron State followed by a 2:30 contest against host Lubbock Christian.
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