ARKADELPHIA – Despite a slow start, the Ouachita Softball team made a comeback to take down Southwestern Oklahoma State University by the score of 8-5 Friday afternoon at Langston Field in the GAC series opener.
Ouachita got off to a slow start, with Southwestern Oklahoma State scoring three in the top of the first inning. The Tigers got one back in the following half inning after
Emily Reed recorded her 10
th home run of the season to make the score 3-1. After a scoreless second frame, the Bulldogs added a fourth run on a solo long ball, making it a three-run game once again.
The Tiger offense got another run back in the fourth thanks to an RBI single from
Jessalyn Ahrens that scored
Remington Adams to bring the game back with two runs. But it wasn't until the fifth inning that Ouachita really put things together offensively to bust the game open with five runs.
The fifth-inning rally started with the Tigers loading the bases with one out. Reed delivered for the second time of the afternoon, this time with a two-RBI double off the fence in center field, scoring
Katelyn Provence and
Bella Roseberry and to tie the game at 4-4.
Marli Huddleston made it back-to-back two-RBI doubles for the Tigers and brought
Baylee King and Reed home to give Ouachita its first lead of the game. Huddleston later made it home thanks to an SWOSU error to put the Tigers on top 7-4 to close out the scoring in the fifth.
After holding the Bulldogs scoreless to start the sixth, Huddleston picked up her third RBI of the afternoon, this one from a fielder's choice that scored pinch runner
Mackenzie Amaya to give Ouachita an 8-4 advantage heading into the final inning. Southwestern scratched a lone run across in the top of the seventh, but the Tiger defense pulled through to earn the 8-5 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the weekend series.
Ouachita tallied 11 hits for the fourth time this season, which ties for the most in a single game this season. Four Tigers, Huddleston, Provence, Reed, and Roseberry tied for the team lead with two hits each. Huddleston and Reed both also tied with a team-high three-RBI each. This was Roseberry's first career multi-hit game.
Catie Amador got the start and earned her 11
th win of the season after striking out five across 6.0 innings of work.
Kodee Batchelor picked up her eighth save of the season to extend the program record in single season saves after holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the final three outs of the win.
