BETHANY, Okla. – Senior pitcher Kayleigh Jones broke the Oklahoma Baptist single-season record for wins as OBU defeated Southern Nazarene 7-6 in eight frames on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, the Bison surpassed its previous-best mark for wins in the Division II era (33), moving to 34-9 on the season.
OBU improved its GAC record to 19-5, a tie of the program's DII record for wins attained a season ago. The Bison remain tied for first place in the league's standings with No. 18 Harding.
Jones broke the nine-year-old Bison record (23) in the same amount of innings (173.0) as its holder, Hannah Wilbur, who set the mark in 2014. Today, Jones fanned 12 batters in 6.1 innings without giving up an earned run.
After starting the contest, Jones returned to the circle in the seventh to halt SNU's rally and secure the victory.
Oklahoma Baptist recorded six RBIs on eight hits, led by senior Adi Reese's 2-for-3 showing at the plate. Reese brought in two on a moonshot over center field while tallying a team-best in assists (3) from her second base position. It was her seventh home run of the year.
Morgan Max went yard for the third game in a row, while Kennedy Clark was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Four others recorded a hit, including Reagan Ford, who brought in the winning run.
Southern Nazarene struck gold first after two frames of silence on an error in the third for a 1-0 lead. Then Morgan Max put the Bison back in contention with a solo shot over left field to knot the contest going into the bottom of the fourth.
In SNU's next at-bat, Jones punched out three of the four batters she faced to allow a five-run outburst in the fifth.
With the bases juiced, an Emily Adler sacrifice fly scored Alleyna Rushing to put OBU ahead 2-1. After the next at-bat, Ford waltzed across home plate on a throwing error by SNU's catcher.
Next, Kennedy Clark doubled to plate Sammie Greene before Adi Reese cleared the bags with a two-run blast for a five-run cushion.
However, the lead didn't stand. Showing a lot of fight, SNU erupted with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the contest and force extras.
Ford answered the call in the next frame on a two-out RBI that sent Meghan Roberts in for the winning run. In the bottom of the eighth, Jones forced a fly-out before fanning two batters to claim the triumph.
Next, Oklahoma Baptist plays host to Ouachita Baptist this weekend. Game one is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday.
