BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Ouachita softball team split Wednesday's road doubleheader at Southwest Baptist, dropping the opener 5-4 in walk-off fashion before responding with seven unanswered runs for a 7-3 victory in the finale.
Ouachita struck first as junior Emily Reed lifted a sacrifice fly deep enough to score redshirt-senior Remington Adams. The Tigers added to their lead in the second with a two-out rally, highlighted by an RBI double to left field from freshman Reagan McCoy, who later scored on a wild pitch.
After Ouachita jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, Southwest Baptist took advantage on four unearned runs in the fourth and eighth inning to level the score. Senior starting pitcher Shailee Wooden settled in during the middle innings, retiring 10 of 11 batters at one point, while the Tigers' lone pinch-runner got caught trying to steal second base. The Tigers committed four errors and handed the Bearcats four outs on the base paths in the opener loss.
Sophomore Catie Amador collected a season-high 10 strikeouts on 130 pitches thrown. After the first three hitters reached safely in the bottom of the seventh, Amador struck out the next two hitters to set the stage for a bases-loaded, two outs scenario. The Tigers' ace forced a groundout to get out of the bases-loaded jam and send the opener into extras.
Ouachita regained the lead in the eighth as Addison Davidson hit an RBI single to left field to score fellow freshman Morgan Uher. Reed followed with a double past the center fielder, but Davidson was thrown out on a relay to the plate. Down to their final out, the Bearcats capitalized on a fourth error to level the score. Freshman Parker Rodgers ultimately took the loss after freshman Cambri Van Loo scored on a wild pitch to walk it off in the ninth.
In Game 2, the Bearcats jumped ahead to an early 3-0 lead, ignited by a homer from sophomore Keeley Elsea. The Tigers mounted their comeback in the fourth inning once Bella Roseberry reached on a fielder's choice and Laken Golden hustled in safely to third to load the bases. Ouachita took a 4-3 lead after Adams cleared the bases with a two-out double to left field. Adams led the Tigers with three hits and three RBI in Wednesday's split.
The Tigers added key insurance runs after Uher and Alaina Lyle opened the seventh with consecutive knocks to set the stage for their junior slugger. Reed belted a 3-run shot deep over the left field wall for her ninth home run to extend the Tigers' lead. Junior Karley Burrow struck out a season-high four hitters and retired 11 straight batters during a stretch into the fifth. Burrow (3-1) then retired the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings, needing just 81 pitches to secure the complete-game victory.
Ouachita returns home to Langston Field to host Arkansas Tech in a Great American Conference weekend series, with the opener scheduled on Friday at 4 p.m.
