Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ADA, Okla. – On Friday afternoon the Ouachita Tigers softball team and the East Central University Tigers spilt the first double header of the weekend; Ouachita took game one 6-5, while East Central won the night cap 5-4.
Game One: Ouachita 6, East Central 5
East Central cracked the scoreboard first in game one, Alissa Taylor homered to right field to lead off the game. The 1-0 score lasted until the top of the third inning.
Sloane Precure (Canyon, Texas) tied the game at one after she hit a bases loaded fielder's choice to the shortstop. The tie game was short lived however;
Sarah Johnson (Mount Vernon, Texas) unloaded her team leading sixth homerun of the season. The three-run bomb gave Ouachita a 4-1 lead.
East Central grabbed a run back in the bottom half of the third with a solo shot to center field. The Tigers of East Central brought the game back within a run after an error by Ouachita's right fielder.
Ouachita picked up some much-needed insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Paige Purifoy (Farmington, Ark.) stole home to put Ouachita up by two. A pair of batters later and Johnson delivered her fourth RBI of the afternoon to keep the Tigers ahead 6-3.
East Central made it interesting though in the bottom of the seventh inning. Claresha Clemons hit a two-run homerun to right center field to bring East Central back within a run. Sarah Chamberlain (Shreveport, La.) came in for Ouachita to pitch. The freshman pitcher came in and shut the door on East Central to pick up her first career save.
Johnson was the offensive player of the game, going 3-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBI's.
Marissa Butler (Plano, Texas) picked up her fifth victory in the circle.
Game Two: Ouachita 4, East Central 5
Precure jump-started the Ouachita offense in the bottom of the first inning, with a one out homerun to centerfield.
Ouachita's lead did not last long though as East Central tied the game up in the bottom of the first at one.
The game remained tied at one until the top of the third inning. Johnson hit her second homerun of the day and her seventh of the season to put Ouachita ahead 3-1. Moments later Samantha Ortiz hit a solo homerun to tack on a run to the Tigers lead.
East Central tied up the game in bottom of the third inning. The Tigers of East Central pounded out three runs off three hits. The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning.
Nikki Herrin came into the game to pinch hit for East Central and hit an RBI single to right field to give East Central the go-ahead run.
Ouachita was unable to score in the final few innings of the game. Johnson was the top hitter in game two, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI's.
The two teams will square off again tomorrow afternoon beginning at 12 p.m.
