SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist earned its first series sweep of the season with 7-4 and 12-4 (6 inn.) wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-17, 1-5 GAC) on Saturday afternoon. The Bison improve to 17-4 overall with a 4-2 mark in Great American Conference action.
GAME ONE
Pitcher Kayleigh Jones led the Bison to its first win of the day, striking out 14 batters in a complete game of action. Jones faced 31 batters and gave up three earned runs.
Kennedy Clark built upon her momentum from Friday night, posting her second career three-hit game. Clark was 3-for-3, scored a run, and collected an RBI. Reagan Ford and Emily Adler finished the game with a pair of hits, including an RBI from Ford.
Adi Reese batted in two as she notched her second triple of the season. Four other Bison successfully put a ball in play, a part of OBU's 12 hits.
Two scoreless innings passed before Northwestern threw the first punch. A Hannah Howell single scored Laney Anderson for the game's first run in the third. Then the Bison got on track.
In the bottom of the frame, OBU poured in six runs on seven hits to go ahead 6-1. With the bases loaded, Morgan Max sent two home for the first two scores.
Clark drove in two more in the next at-bat, following a shot at the Rangers' shortstop. Next, as Reese bolted around the base path after a hit into right field, Clark and Max crossed the plate to draw the tally 5-1.
Ally Ryan wrapped up the fireworks with a double into center that scored Reese.
OBU tacked on another in the next frame after Jones and company retired the NWOSU side at the top of the fourth. Alleyna Rushing made it home to give OBU a seven-run cushion, courtesy of an E. Adler single.
Northwestern made things interesting over the next two innings, scoring three runs, but it was to no avail as Jones struck out the last two batters in the seventh to cement the win.
GAME TWO
Oklahoma Baptist racked up 17 hits in the finale, the most all season. Four came from E. Adler, marking her second four-hit game of the year. Clark added two hits to complete a seven-hit weekend, while Shelby Warden sent over a three-run bomb to collect three RBIs. It was Warden's first career home run.
Sydney Adler went 2-for-2 at the plate and drove in two runs, while Zoey Johnson recorded two hits and an RBI.
By the third inning, OBU was in a 2-0 hole. The Bison responded with five runs in the fifth to claim the lead, 5-2.
A Max sacrifice fly crossed a run for the first score before Ally Ryan drove in another with a single into center. The rich got richer as Johnson smacked one into left-center to cross the inning's third run.
A couple of hits from S. Adler and Brooklyn Purtell brought around the final two scores.
After the Rangers managed two scores at the top of the fourth-inning frame, the Bison responded with two consecutive two-run innings to end the game early.
In the circle, Aspen Younce (2-1) came away with the victory after twirling 4.0 innings. Younce produced four strikeouts before Max entered as relief in the final two frames. Max struck out three of the seven batters she faced.
OBU will have a few days of rest before hosting Southern Nazarene in a Tuesday night twinbill beginning at 5 pm on March 7.
