ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita softball team picked up its first win of the season and the
Jeff Jackson era, taking down Delta State 6-4 before dropping game two 3-2 in a Friday doubleheader at Feaster Park.
Game one: Ouachita 6, Delta State 4
In game one of Friday's doubleheader, Delta State struck first, scoring one in the top of the first. But Ouachita was ready to answer, plating four runs in the bottom half of the inning. The first runs for the Tigers came on a three-RBI double from
Kennedy Wilkie that put Ouachita up 3-1. Wilkie was then brought home on an RBI double from
Emily Reed make the score 4-1 after the first. Things were quiet for the next two innings as both teams were held scoreless in the second and third innings.
The Lady Statesmen weren't ready to go quietly; DSU plated a run in the top of the fourth and two in the top of the fifth to tie things up 4-4. A
Remington Adams single in the bottom of the fifth scored
Erin Williams to put the Tigers back up 5-4. Ouachita added another run on a Williams sacrifice fly that put the Tigers up by two in the bottom of the sixth. The Tigers forced two groundouts and a fielder's choice in the top of the seventh to seal their first victory of the season by the final score of 6-4.
Maggi Huddleston earned her first win of the year in the circle, pitching 2.2 innings in relief and allowing just a single hit and zero runs.
Erin Williams went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk.
Emily Reed went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Game two: Delta State 3, Ouachita 2
It was the Tigers who struck first in game two with an RBI single from Williams that scored Bailey King, who led off the inning by drawing a walk. Both teams went scoreless in the second, and then Delta State woke back up, tying the game 1-1 in the third. The fourth and fifth innings only saw one hit in total from either team.
DSU took the lead with a run in the sixth and added to it with a run in the top of the seventh to take a 3-1 lead over Ouachita, but the Tigers didn't want to give up yet. With two outs,
Emma Scales singled to third, followed by a
Maggi Huddleston pinch-hit RBI double that brought the Tigers within one and put a runner in scoring position. Then, the game went into a lighting delay and both teams had to sit and wait for roughly an hour before they could return to the one-run game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But, after the delays, the Tigers came up short, falling to DSU 3-2.
Erin Williams added to her hit total, going 2-for-3 with an RBI in game two.
Maggi Huddleston went 1-for-1 with an RBI in her only at bat.
Tuesday Melton pitched a complete seven innings, earning the loss.
The Tigers' next games will be in Oklahoma City as part of the Rasing Cane's Softball Festival. Ouachita softball will take on Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney on Friday, February 16 and Rogers State and Missouri Southern on Saturday. Both day's games start at 10:30 a.m.
