Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
ARKADELPHIA, Ark- As they sit almost half way through the regular season, the Ouachita Lady Tiger softball team finally got to play their home opener on Friday, hosting the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene University. The Lady Tigers split the first day of action in the conference series, winning the first game by a score of 3-2, before falling by a score of 5-1 in the second game.
 
In their 3-2 win, the Lady Tigers saw a quick start, with Bailey Sanders singling to left field, scoring Megan Askew in the first inning and making the score 1-0.They would then add to their lead in the second with a wild pitch allowing Michaela Hopkins to cross the plate.
 
Southern Nazarene used a two run shot from Amy Madden in the fourth inning to tie the game at two runs, but the Lady Tigers answered in the bottom of the inning, when Hopkins singled to right field and scored Parrish Reed from third base, giving the Lady Tigers a 3-2 advantage that they would hold on to for the win.
 
Abbi Frakes took the win on the mound, throwing seven innings and recording two strikeouts while only allowing two runs. Maci-Brooke Lambert was hit with the loss for the Crimson Storm, throwing six innings and giving up three runs, two of which were earned, to the Lady Tigers.
 
In the second game, the Crimson Storm came back with a vengeance, using five runs over a course of three innings to down Ouachita.
 
Southern Nazarene started things off in the third inning, scoring two runs and taking an early lead. They then stretched that led to four runs in the fourth inning, adding another two runs to their totals.
 
The Lady Tigers finally got a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth, when Teresa Mursuli singled to center field and scored Nici Starkey, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Crimson Storm, as they stretched their lead to 5-1 in the fifth and capped off a victory over the Lady Tigers.
 
Jeneva Nelson took the win for SNU, throwing seven innings and holding the Lady Tigers to four hits and one run. Amber Oxford took the loss for Ouachita, throwing seven innings and giving up five runs, only two of which were earned, to the Crimson Storm.
 
The teams resume the series on Saturday, where they will again meet at Sully Anderson Field on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University. Action is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
 
-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director