CLEVELAND, Mississippi – The Ouachita softball team used a late rally to split with the Lady Statesmen of Delta State University in a midweek non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.
Game One: Delta State 11, Ouachita 3
Ouachita dug itself a hole to start the opening game of the Wednesday doubleheader as Delta State scored seven runs in the bottom of the first. The Lady Statesmen added two in the second and one in the third before the Tiger offense found life in the fourth.
After two stolen basses following a walk,
Katelyn Provence was the first Tiger to cross the plate thanks to an RBI single from
Bella Roseberry. A few batters later, an RBI double from
Baylee King scored
Olivia See and pinch runner
Paige Guhn to make the score 10-3. DSU added another run in the bottom of the fifth and Ouachita fell by the final score of 11-3.
Baylee King was the only Tiger to record multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
Tuesday Melton pitched the final two innings in relief, struck out one and gave up just one run.
Game Two: Ouachita 8, Delta State 7 (8 Innings)
It was Ouachita that struck first in the second game of the day. Provence was again the first run to cross home plate for the Tigers, this time on an RBI sacrifice fly from
Emily Reed to put Ouachita up 1-0. The Tigers held DSU scoreless over the first two innings before the Lady Statesmen scored five in the third to take a four-run lead.
The Tiger offense got things moving again in the fifth inning when after a couple of walks and a fielder's choice,
Remington Adams hit a two-RBI single to center field, scoring
Cierra Kemp and King and bringing the game within two runs. Delta answered with one run in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-3.
Going into the top of the seventh, the Tigers began to rally. King worked a leadoff walk and Reed belted her ninth home run of the season, this one to left center field, to make it just a one-run ball game. Then, Marli Huddelston hit her first collegiate home run to make it back-to-back long shots for Ouachita and tie the game at 6-6. The Tigers held DSU scoreless in the bottom half of the frame to force extra innings.
In extras, after Provence was placed on second due to tiebreaker rules, King singled and later stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Reed followed and again came through for Ouachita, this time with a two-RBI single up the middle to score both Provence and King, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game.
Delta State scored one run two batters into the bottom of the eighth to make it a one-run game once again. The Lady Statesmen put a runner in scoring position with two outs, but the Tigers pulled through with a fielder's choice to third base, sealing the 8-7 victory for Ouachita in extra innings.
The Tigers tallied 10 hits in the win. Reed and
Jessalyn Ahrens each recorded two hits, with Reed going 2-for-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Adams was second on the team in RBI with two.
Catie Amador got the win after pitching 5.0 innings of relief, allowing just one earned run in the process.
Kodee Batchelor earned her seventh save of the season after pitching the final two outs in the win.
The Tigers are set to face Arkansas-Monticello at home this weekend for a three-game Great American Conference series. The schedule for the weekend is likely to change due to the weather forecast. Updates will be posted to OBUtigers.com and official social media channels.
