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Box Score 2 AUSTIN, Texas (March 7, 2015) – The good news for Oklahoma Christian is its pitchers limited St. Edward's (Texas) to nine runs in the teams' three-game Heartland Conference softball series.
The bad news was the Lady Eagles scored only four runs in the series and lost all three games by narrow margins, including 4-1 and 2-1 decisions (the latter in nine innings) on Saturday afternoon at Diane Daniels Field.
OC (7-5, 0-3 Heartland) suffered its first conference series sweep since last season, when the then-flu-riddled Lady Eagles dropped three straight to Lubbock Christian (Texas) on the road.
In Saturday's opener, OC starter
Haley Squier (0-1) and her St. Edward's counterpart, Katelyn Klug, were locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel until the fifth inning, when Squier walked two Hilltoppers and a bunt single loaded the bases ahead of a tiebreaking sacrifice fly by Breah Whitten.
Alex Mayfield followed with a two-run double to left-center field and St. Edward's (14-8, 3-0) led 3-0. The Hilltoppers led 4-0 after scoring an unearned run in the sixth.
OC rallied in the seventh against Klug (1-0) and brought the tying run to the plate.
Kendra Pierce hit a one-out single and
Niki Davidson walked.
Jordan Chism followed with a double to right-center field, scoring Pierce, but Klug (who allowed only four hits) retired
Madison Nordyke and Squier on groundouts to end the threat and the game.
In the second game, OC's
Shea Coats and Sarah Debrow staged their second pitching showdown in as many days, both going the distance in a contest that stretched into nine innings. Coats had seven strikeouts and Debrow four.
The Lady Eagles went ahead 1-0 in the fourth inning. Pierce reached on an infield single to lead off and eventually scored on a two-out single to left-center field by Nordyke.
St. Edward's answered in the sixth. Faith Roberts walked to lead off and Laura Alvarado pinch-ran for her. Alvarado came around to score on an infield single by K.P. Perch.
OC managed only one baserunner the final four innings against Debrow (9-2) and St. Edward's finally broke through again in the ninth against Coats (5-2). With two outs, Whitten doubled down the left-field line and scored the winning run on a single to center field by Mayfield.
The Lady Eagles will return to action Monday, when they visit Oklahoma Wesleyan.
