Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (April 18, 2015) – Oklahoma Christian had to settle for a series win against No. 6-ranked St. Mary's (Texas) instead of finishing off a sweep on Saturday afternoon.
OC jumped to an early lead, then rallied to force extra innings, but Amanda Villa's single to left field scored Miranda Medina with the decisive run in the eighth and lifted St. Mary's to a 5-4 win on OC's Senior Day at
Tom Heath Field.
OC (24-17, 12-9 Heartland Conference) had knocked St. Mary's (36-9, 16-4) off the top of the league standings with a doubleheader sweep on Friday, putting the Rattlers one game behind Lubbock Christian (Texas) , a squad which OC won two of three from a week earlier. OC is battling for fourth place.
The Lady Eagles jumped ahead on Saturday in the second inning against conference ERA leader Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone (21-4).
Niki Davidson and
Sheridan Bond drew walks and scored on a double to left-center field by
Haley Squier.
But St. Mary's broke through against OC starter
Shea Coats in the third, tying the game on a two-run, two-out single by Taylor Vidrine. The Rattlers went ahead 4-2 in the fourth on a two-run home run by Gutierrez Touchtone.
Davidson homered to left field to lead off the sixth for OC.
Madison Nordyke followed with a triple to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Squier.
In the bottom of the seventh, senior
Monique Elliott singled to lead off for the Lady Eagles and was sacrificed to second base by another senior,
Courtney Starr. A third senior,
Kendra Pierce, drew a walk. But Gutierrez Touchtone escaped the jam by striking out Davidson and coaxing a groundout by Nordyke.
Nordyke (5-4) relieved Coats in the eighth. Nordyke hit Gutierrez Touchtone with a pitch and pinch-runner Medina went to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Medina didn't advance on a single by Alena Moreno, but scored when Villa's ground ball down the left-field line just eluded OC third baseman
Jordan Chism.
Gutierrez Touchtone retired OC in order in the bottom of the eighth.
OC honored Elliott, Starr, Pierce,
Taylor Mosher and
Krystal Rodriguez during a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
OC will close its regular season with four games at conference rival Newman (Kan.) – two on Saturday and two on Sunday, with the first three to count in the league standings. After that, the Lady Eagles will compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region tournament.
