SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (12-6, 5-0 GAC) outscored Northwestern Oklahoma State (8-8, 2-4 GAC) 16-1 and tallied 19 hits across two games to earn its second consecutive sweep on Saturday afternoon at Bison Softball Park.
OBU blanked the Rangers 7-0 in game one before run-ruling NWOSU 9-1 after five innings in the series finale.
The Bison pitching staff boasted an ERA of 0.58 and limited opposing hitters to a .222 batting average. Maggie Place and Jaycee Shaffer picked up wins, improving their season records to 4-4 and 2-0, respectively.
Place struck out six without giving up a run after seven frames in Saturday's opener before pitching an additional 1.2 innings in game two. Place allowed seven hits from the 32 batters she faced.
Morgan Max also appeared in the circle and twirled 2.0 frames without giving up a hit. Max added a couple of punchouts, too.
GAME ONE
A couple of silent frames passed before the OBU offense got going and posted a five-run inning at the bottom of the third.
Back-to-back singles from Emily Adler and Ally Ryan put two on base before a third single from Adi Reese brought in the first score of the contest.
Kennedy Clark doubled down the right field line to plate two more in the next at-bat, good for a 3-0 Bison lead.
Then, Shelby Warden scored ahead of a Sammie Greene connection that sent Zoey Johnson home for the last run.
OBU tacked on two more in the fifth, courtesy of Ryan and Hailey Stanford before the Bison defense cemented the victory at the top of the seventh.
Ryan and Reese had two hits, while Clark recorded a team-high in RBI (2). Greene and Shirey also brought runners in. Additionally, E. Adler registered a stolen bag.
GAME TWO
Northwestern finally collected their first run of the entire series in the inaugural frame of the series cap, but that'd be the extent of their success as OBU diminished the feat with three runs at the bottom of the stanza.
Those scores came from a Max three-run moonshot over right field.
Teammates Greene and E. Alder joined the party in the following inning with a double and a single, respectively, that scored two more.
Then, in the fifth, Oklahoma Baptist recorded three runs on a hit-by-pitch and a double before a Samantha Campos sacrifice fly put the mercy rule into effect for the win.
OBU totaled 11 hits, paced by three-RBI outings from Greene and Max. Greene was 3-for-4 in the batter's box and scored one run. Additionally, Shirey notched two hits and crossed home plate twice.
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist looks to stay hot as they'll host Southeastern Oklahoma State next weekend in their third consecutive home series. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8.
