ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas – The Ouachita Baptist University softball team opened Great American Conference action by splitting a double header with the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
It was a cold and rainy day in Arkadelphia and the games changed start time twice due to weather. What were originally supposed to be 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. start times, became 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., which then got pushed back out to the actual time of 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Game 1: Ouachita 5, SWOSU 2
Game one started with Ouachita's starter
Tuesday Melton working her way out of a jam in the top of the first. After allowing a total of three batters to reach base, the Tiger defense ended the inning with a pickle, tagging out a Bulldog who rounded third looking to score, but came up short. The Tigers used that momentum to strike first in the bottom on the first inning on a two-run home run from
Maggi Huddleston that gave Ouachita a 2-0 lead heading into the second inning. The two teams traded three-up-three-down innings until SWOSU scored one run in the top of the fourth. The Tigers were held scoreless in the fourth, but Ouachita and SWOSU only had one baserunner between them in the fifth.
The Bulldogs managed to tie the game in the top of the sixth, as a runner scored on an error, but the Tigers were quick to respond. Ouachita retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a total of three runs in the inning. The runs came from a
Lauren Lester RBI single that scored
Shelby Smith and a two RBI single from
Lacy Ornelas that scored
Emma McCorkle and Huddleston to put the Tiger on top by three. Those three runs in the sixth were all the Tigers needed as Melton forced a fly out and then struck the final two batters out to secure a Great American Conference opening victory over SWOSU.
- Starter Tuesday Melton once again went the distance in the circle. Melton pitched all seven innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out six in route to her fourth win of the season.
- Maggi Huddleston went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBI, two runs scored, a home run and a walk.
- Lauren Lester went 2-for-3 in game one with an RBI.
- Lacy Ornelas went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk.
Game Two: SWOSU 9, Ouachita 0
Game two went the opposite way for Ouachita. SWOSU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Tigers and Bulldogs were both held scoreless until the fourth inning, when Southwestern decided to open the floodgates. The Bulldogs plated a total of six runs in the top of the fourth, all of which went down in the book as unearned due to a couple of fielding errors. The nine-run deficit proved to be too much for the Tigers as they had only one baserunner in the fourth and fifth innings. Game two ended after the fifth inning with the eight-run sportsmanship rule being put in place and the Tigers fell 9-0 to SWOSU.
The Tigers will look to bounce back and win the series against the Bulldogs in the rubber match tomorrow, Saturday, February 25 at noon at Sully Anderson Field. Game three was originally scheduled for 11:00a.m. on Saturday, but has been rescheduled for a noon start due to the late finish of tonight's games.
