TAHLEQUAH -- Washburn used a two-run fourth inning and a dominant effort in the circle to hand Oklahoma Baptist a 2-0 defeat on Thursday morning in Tahlequah.
In a tightly contested pitcher's duel, both teams were scoreless through the first three innings as OBU starter
Jaycee Shaffer and Washburn's Sadie Walker traded zeroes. The Bison managed just one baserunner through the first three frames and couldn't capitalize on early opportunities.
The decisive moment came in the top of the fourth. After a leadoff walk and a two-out single put two runners on, Washburn's Danielle Schlader delivered the game's biggest swing, ripping a double to bring home both runs for a 2-0 advantage. That proved to be all the Ichabods would need.
OBU threatened in the bottom half of the fourth when
Greenlee Wells doubled to center and advanced to third on a flyout, but Walker induced a strikeout and a lineout to escape the jam. The Bison collected four hits on the day, including a two-hit performance from Wells and singles by
Katelyn Kilgore and
Haley Hacker, but were unable to string together timely offense.
Shaffer (6-1) went the distance in the loss, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven in seven innings of work. She kept OBU within striking distance throughout, but Walker (5-0) was equally sharp, tossing a complete-game shutout with seven strikeouts and no walks.
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