SHAWNEE – Kayleigh Jones earned her 75th win in the circle as Oklahoma Baptist split Saturday's doubleheader with Arkansas Monticello, falling 8-3 in the first game before taking the rubber match 3-1 inside Bison Softball Park.
OBU retains its top spot in the Great American Conference standings after boosting its GAC tally to 12-1 and overall record to 18-7. Meanwhile, the Blossoms dropped to 13-16 (5-8 GAC) on the year.
Jones surrendered just three hits and one unearned run in seven frames. Additionally, she struck out 14 batters and walked two while forcing four fly-outs.
In two appearances over the weekend, she registered a 0.44 ERA, punched out 27, and allowed one earned run.
GAME ONE
A scrappy UAM squad produced eight runs on 11 hits in the opener, the most scores allowed by OBU this season. On the other end, Oklahoma Baptist tallied eight hits.
However, the Bison got on the board first in the early part of the contest. A double from Morgan Max and a single via Adi Reese scored two for a 2-0 cushion.
Then, Reese blasted a solo home run over left field to put the green and gold up by three.
Arkansas Monticello countered in the fourth, drawing four runs on four hits to take the lead. The Blossoms' bats remained ablaze for an additional four scores in the seventh, cementing the 8-3 triumph. It was OBU's first loss to UAM since 2021.
Reese was 3-for-3 at the plate and brought in a couple of runners, a season-best outing for the senior.
Maggie Place twirled 4.1 innings before being relieved by Max. Place fanned five while giving up two earned scores and seven hits. She was credited with the loss, moving her record to 6-5.
Max allowed four runs and punched a couple of batters while forcing four ground-outs.
GAME TWO
Jones was nearly perfect through four frames in the finale, allowing one hit and tallying eight strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma Baptist brought two across home plate in the third, courtesy of a two-run blast from Ally Ryan. It was her eighth homer of the season.
Some momentum finally swung UAM's way in the fifth with Grace Neal's two-out RBI that narrowed the gap 3-1.
Then, an OBU score on a passed ball at the bottom of the inning secured the series win.
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist will travel to Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday for a midweek doubleheader with the University of Texas at Tyler. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m
