LAFAYETTE, La. – Senior pitcher Kayleigh Jones collected 12 strikeouts without surrendering a hit to lead Oklahoma Baptist (1-0, 0-0 GAC) to an 8-1 victory over Delta State (0-1, 0-0 GSC) on the opening day of the Mardi Gras Invitational.
Jones was flawless in her 2023 debut, striking out 12-of-16 batters faced in 5.0 innings of work. She was backed up in the circle by Morgan Max and Aspen Younce, who each saw 1.0 inning of action. Max struck out three, while Younce put down two.
Oklahoma Baptist tallied 11 hits, the most since an April 22 game versus Arkansas-Monticello last season. Butler CC transfer Emily Adler led OBU with a 2-4 showing at the plate in her first action as a Bison. Adler charted an RBI and scored once to complete her sheet.
Five more Bison registered an RBI, including freshman third-baseman Ally Ryan.
OBU didn't waste any time getting on the board as Reagan Ford crossed home plate after Emily Adler reached on an error in the first.
The scoring would halt until Oklahoma Baptist erupted for three runs in the fifth. Adi Reese started the party with a triple at the top of the frame before Mia Moddelmog singled in the next at-bat to score Reese and push the lead to 2-0.
Then Moddelmog made her way around for a score after Sammie Greene reached on a fielder's choice. Emily Adler wrapped the scoring with a single that sent Gwyn Miller across for a 4-0 cushion.
At the bottom of the frame, Jones made quick work of the Lady Statesman, striking out three straight to complete her day.
Success ensued in the sixth as Samantha Campos homered, and Ryan doubled to cross Alleyna Rushing, adding two more runs.
In the seventh, Shelby Warden scored Greene on a single, pushing the advantage to 7-0. Then Butler CC transfer Sydney Adler sent her twin sister, Emily, across the plate for the night's final score.
Oklahoma Baptist returns to action tomorrow for two games versus Texas A&M Kingsville and Midwestern State University. First pitch versus TAMUK is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. while the latter versus MWSU is at 2:00 p.m.
