SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist softball team rode the arms of
Aspen Younce and
Shianne Eddings to a pair of wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State to complete the sweep of the Rangers on Saturday afternoon at the Bison Softball Park.
Younce came out firing in game one, keeping the Rangers at bay as OBU built an early lead. The Bison got two in the bottom of the first as a safety squeeze from
Jocee Sparks brought home
Kylie Kawamura to put OBU ahead 1-0. That lead moved to 2-0 as
Kaytlyn Marsh drove home
Cheyenne Demaree on a sacrifice fly.
The Bison brought home two more in the bottom of the third as
Asia Henry and
Sheyanne Sandoval each drove in a run on RBI singles.
Younce was in control for most of the contest, mowing down Rangers all afternoon, but Northwestern rallied back in the seventh inning, plating three runs and putting pressure on Younce to close the game out.
With the tying run on second and the go-ahead run at the plate, Younce dug down and picked up her 10th strikeout of the afternoon to close the game and take the 4-3 victory.
Younce pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on five hits to go with double digit strikeouts. OBU scattered six hits across the lineup as Sparks, Henry, Sandoval, and Marsh all drove in runs while Kawamura, Demaree, Sparks, and
Emily Richardson all scored a run.
In the second game, Younce got the nod in the circle again and retired the first nine batters of the game in three frames. The Bison would take a 1-0 lead in the second on a bases loaded RBI walk by
Shelby Savage.
Northwestern got a run off Younce in the fourth to even the game up before OBU struck back in the bottom half as Richardson reached on a single to bring on pinch runner
Reagan Ford. Ford would swipe second with one down and Sandoval would drive her in with a RBI single to take a 2-1 advantage.
Eddings would check into the game and, after a slow start with a few walks and hit batters, settled into her own and earned a three inning save – allowing no runs or hits for her first save in a Bison uniform.
Younce (W, 6-8) earned her second win of the day in four innings of work, allowing one runs on three hits.
Savage was 2-for-2 with a RBI while Sandoval with 2-for-3 with a RBI. Kawamura, Demaree, and Richardson all added hits on teh day with Marsh and Ford had runs scored.
OBU moves to 18-13 on the year and 13-11 in the GAC. The Bison return home next weekend as they welcome in defending GAC Regular Season Champion Southern Arkansas for a three-game series beginning Friday at 5 p.m.
