SHAWNEE – Big hits, outstanding pitching and some mishaps were all part of Oklahoma Baptist's two victories over ninth-ranked Southern Arkansas on Friday at Bison Softball Park.
OBU won 4-3 in the opener before freshman
Kaylee Davis delivered an 11th-inning, walk-off solo bomb to center to lift the hosts to a thrilling 6-5 win in the nightcap. With the wins, OBU moved its record to 34-16 and 25-7 in the Great American Conference.
GAME ONE
Oklahoma Baptist held off a late surge to pick up a signature win during the opener.
The Bison capitalized in the third inning when
Ally Ryan delivered the key blow. A towering three-run bomb to left center, scored
Haley Hacker and
Morgan Max. Ryan finished 1-for-2 with three RBI and a walk.
Oklahoma Baptist opened the scoring in the second when
Hailey Stanford singled home a run. Hacker added a double and scored twice, while Max walked twice and stole a base.
Jorja Barrett (10-5) earned the win with 4.2 innings of two-hit work, allowing two runs, off an SAU homer in the fifth, while issuing five walks.. Max recorded her eighth save, a top three mark in the nation with 2.1 innings of relief, yielding four hits but preserving the lead.
Of note, senior centerfielder
Sammie Greene recorded a key out in the fifth when she robbed America Rubio of a homer in left center.
Southern Arkansas (39-7) did strike late with a two-run homer from Regan Dillon in the fifth and an RBI single by Jenna Huey in the sixth.
Despite the late push, the Muleriders left eight runners on base and couldn't crack Max in the final frame.
GAME TWO
Oklahoma Baptist pulled off a thrilling 6-5 walk-off win over SAU in 11 innings during the nightcap. The win was sealed by Davis' solo homer to left center, capping a tense, back-and-forth affair that featured stellar pitching, timely hitting, and plenty of drama.
OBU committed seven errors, the most in the Bison's 493 all-time Division II games. Plus, the 11-inning affair was just the fifth in D2 lore and first since a game at Harding on Feb. 26, 2023.
The visitors struck early with a solo shot from Dillon in the first, but the Bison quickly responded in the bottom half when Max crushed a two-run homer to take a 2-1 lead.
The Muleriders surged ahead 4-2 in the third, aided by a pair of errors, including a dropped, two-out popup at first which scored two. There was also an RBI single from Kylie Adams.
But the green and gold weren't done—Hacker tied it with a two-run blast in the bottom of the frame.
After trading runs in the fourth and sixth innings to tie it at 5-5, the game turned into a pitcher's duel. Max took over in relief in the sixth and silenced SAU's bats over 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks to earn the win.
Defensively, OBU overcame seven errors, thanks in part to Max's command and some timely outs. Ryan led the Bison with three hits, while Davis finished 3-for-5 with a double and the game-winning homer.
