The #2 NAIA-ranked USAO softball team (14-2, 5-0 SAC) traveled to Texas for the first day of their four-game conference series against the Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions (SAGU) Lions (7-11, 1-3 SAC) Friday, Mar. 8.
Game 1:
The first game of the day started with both teams canceling each other out. SAGU second baseman Kaeli Lynn caught sophomore shortstop Malea McMurtrey stealing second. Following that play, Lynn caught a pop-up from freshman catcher Leighanne Eaton, which left junior pitcher Sophie Williams on base and sent the Drovers back to the dugout. Williams retaliated against the Lions’ outs by striking out two of their batters. SAGU third baseman Trista Ford then grounded out to McMurtrey, ending the first inning without either team scoring a run.
After a tussle on the field with SAGU in the first inning, USAO found a number of runs in the second. Sophomore second baseman Jadyn Goucher showed stealth around the bases as she walked to first and advanced to second after junior first baseman Sierra Selfridge hit a grounder. Sophomore third baseman Taygan Graham singled to second base, which led Goucher and USAO to their first run. Two single hits from freshman leftfielder Jordan Ramsay and senior centerfielder Macenzie Ruth loaded the bases, and then a walk to McMurtrey gave Graham the second run for the Drovers. The conveyer belt of runs continued with Williams’s single to right field, and a wild throw from the circle allowed two more Drovers to return home. Eaton singled to left field giving Williams her run and pushed the Drovers to a six-run lead before SAGU’s offense returned to the plate. SAGU was still scoreless in the bottom of the second, as Williams tamed all three Lions with strikeouts.
More insurance runs arrived to increase USAO’s lead in the third inning. Graham got the momentum going by singling to center field, followed by another hit from Ramsay to the catcher. Once Ruth stepped back on the plate, she swung the bat to hit her first home run in the season and lead Ramsay home for two back-to-back runs and a 8-0 lead for USAO. Before the bottom of the third, sophomore pitcher Abi Gregory relieved Williams to toe the rubber. The pitching excellence continued as Gregory struck out two batters and did not allow a single hit.
The fourth inning was less fortunate for USAO as the sound of clinking bats awakened the Lions. Eaton was able to make it on a base, but the Lions pounced on the Drovers before she could reach home. After allowing a walk to start the bottom of the fourth, Gregory had two strikeouts which looked to keep SAGU off the scoreboard. However, Lions catcher McKenzie Schulze hit a that scored SAGU two runs to put the Lions on the scoreboard, lessening USAO’s lead at 8-2 going into the fifth inning.
USAO overcame the fourth-inning hiccup and continued to control the pace of the game. Freshman pinch runner Kinzie Williams reached second after Ruth hit a single to the shortstop. Following this, McMurtrey slammed a double to the left-center field that resulted in both Drovers crossing home. With the game favoring USAO at the bottom, Gregory struck out one more batter for extra measure and McMurtrey gave the Lions their final out after a pop-up that drove USAO to a 10-2 mercy rule victory.
Game 2:
The second game of the day began with a tug-of-war between the defenses. Two pop-ups and ground out from SAGU’s infielders immediately sent Ruth, McMurtrey, and Williams back to the dugout without any action. Freshman pitcher Jayden Anderson threw a strike to kick off the bottom, followed by Lion’s right fielder Myranda Lewis grounding out to Goucher. Two Lions reached bases with a single and a hit by pitch, but a play by Goucher prevented them from claiming a run to close the first inning.
Both teams awakened as the game shifted from defense to offense in the second inning. After Eaton singled to the center, Goucher went in with a bang and nailed her fourth home run of the season, putting the Drovers in the driver’s seat. Graham started another two-in-one reaction by doubling to center, followed by Ramsay reaching first on a third base error that doubled USAO’s lead. USAO went into the bottom of the inning with a 4-0 lead. Anderson struck another batter out to prevent a baserunner on third from reaching home. The Lions responded with two more hits to load their bases. This was followed by another single that gave the Lions two runs to match the Drovers. A line-out to right fielder Shaylann Grace stopped their charge and maintained a 4-2 lead in USAO’s favor.
USAO went back to battling the fielders in the third inning but did not score any runs. Eaton tried to give insurance after she hit a double to the right, but quick fielding plays sent the Drovers to the dugout. Just around the time the bottom inning rolled around, rain showers poured over the field and suspended the game with USAO leading SAGU 4-2.
As the game had not completed the mandatory third inning, the game will resume at Bill Smith Ball Park Monday, Mar. 11 at 2 p.m. A double header will begin between the Drovers and SAGU once the second game wraps up.
As the games currently stand, USAO’s pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts and two batters walked. Gregory struck out the most batters with six, gave up only one hit, and walked one batter. Williams struck out five batters and did not give up a single hit or walks. Williams threw the highest percentage of strikes with 76.0%, followed by Gregory with 67.4% and Anderson with 60.4%. Gregory toed the most rubber with 3.0 innings, while Williams and Anderson pitched 2.0 innings each.
The batting squad was led by Eaton with four hits, one of which led to a run. Between the two games, the Drovers earned 14 runs total. Ramsay and Ruth led the team in runs with three each.
Jordan Prewitt is a fourth-year English major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
