Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY (March 11, 2016) – On a day when there wasn't much offense,
Sheridan Bond provided quite a bit for Oklahoma Christian.
Bond went 4-for-5 with two triples and three runs scored and the Lady Eagles received a pair of solid pitching performances while sweeping Newman (Kan.) 6-4 and 3-0 in a Heartland Conference softball doubleheader on Friday afternoon at
Tom Heath Field.
OC (13-11, 8-0 Heartland) moved into sole possession of the conference lead, as St. Mary's (Texas) didn't play at Rogers State due to weather. The Lady Eagles will go for their third straight sweep of a league foe on Saturday at noon against Newman (7-17, 1-4).
"We're excited about it," OC coach
Tom Heath said. "There are no guarantees. Anytime you step on the field, a team like Newman … can certainly come and beat us. But we're not taking anything for granted. We're going to be ready to play tomorrow."
In the opener, freshman left-hander
Madison Hagood (8-3) went the distance for OC, giving up eight hits but only two earned runs. Freshman
Kaylie Upton (4-2) and sophomore
Madison Nordyke combined on a two-hit shutout in the second game, with Nordyke earning her second save.
"We were very pleased with the pitching," Heath said. "Madison did a great job, as she has done in the last several games.
Kaylie Upton pitched a very good game; just at the end, we needed to get in
Madison Nordyke to close it out for us, which she did. The pitching staff did an outstanding job."
Bond opened the first game with a triple to the right-center field gap and
Alexus Vanlandingham followed with a double to give OC a quick lead. The Lady Eagles took advantage of two Newman errors in the fifth inning to score three runs, with Nordyke's bloop double to right field keying the outburst.
The Jets came right back with three runs in the sixth, as OC committed two fielding errors. Mikayla Medbery tripled and scored to fuel the Newman rally.
But OC freshman
Bridget White smashed a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth off Newman pitcher Kate Smith (2-12) and the Lady Eagles ended the game in the seventh with a unique double play, throwing out two baserunners attempting to steal on the same play. Catcher
Niki Davidson fired to her sister, shortstop
Lacey Davidson, to tag out Delaney Hiegert at second base, then
Lacey Davidson threw back home, where her sister tagged Rachael Withers, who was trying to score.
Bond tripled off Newman pitcher Katie Ingles (3-3) to lead off the third inning in the second game and scored on a passed ball. OC scratched out a second run in the fourth inning, as White walked and scored on an infield single by Vanlandingham.
Kelsie Finch's RBI double in the fifth scored
Haley Squier to make it 3-0.
"Those triples were gappers," Heath said about Bond's hitting performance. "They were line shots to the fence. It was a great day for her. I hope she can continue that."
Upton went 5 1/3 innings, surrendering only a pair of singles by Taylor Mannis and two walks, before Nordyke came in and retired the Jets' final five batters.
Lacey Davidson didn't score and wasn't even credited with an official at-bat, but the freshman from Moore did set a Heartland Conference record by being hit by a pitch three times in the second game, all by Ingles. Entering Friday, only one other NCAA Division II player had been hit by a pitch three times in a game this season.
"She probably didn't want that record, especially the second (one) that kind of stung a little," Heath said. "Maybe it might make her feel a little better knowing she got a conference record. I guess they didn't want to pitch to her – they hit her three times. We'll take it."
Tom Heath on the doubleheader:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl1-c__6Ezg&feature=youtu.be
