Box Score SAN ANTONIO (April 29, 2016) – Playing the No. 9-ranked team on its home field in a postseason elimination game, Oklahoma Christian faced a mountain to climb on Friday afternoon that was simply too steep.

St. Mary's (Texas) jumped on the Lady Eagles quickly, scoring five first-inning runs and rolling to a 9-1 win in six innings in the Heartland Conference Championship tournament, ending OC's initial NCAA Division II postseason experience.

OC closed its season at 27-26, the sixth straight season during which the Lady Eagles have posted a winning percentage of .500 or higher.

Top-seeded St. Mary's suffered a stunning 4-3 loss to fifth-seeded Texas A&M International in the Rattlers' Heartland tournament opener on Thursday, sending them into the losers' bracket. Third-seeded OC dropped its opener to second-seeded Lubbock Christian (Texas) 1-0 before ousting fourth-seeded St. Edward's (Texas) 3-1 on Thursday night.

OC started strong against St. Mary's (41-10), loading the bases with two outs in the top of the first inning, but the Rattlers' starting pitcher, Hope Russell, retired Bridget White on a fly ball to right field, ending the threat. Russell (8-4) allowed two hits in the first but only three the rest of the way.

St. Mary's responded with five runs and five hits in the bottom of the inning against OC starter Madison Hagood (18-11). Sydney Wellman's two-run double put the Rattlers on the board and Hannah Michel – batting for the second time in the inning – delivered a run-scoring single to right field that made it 5-0.

The Rattlers made it 6-0 in the second. OC scored its only run in the third, when Madison Nordyke led off with a double to left-center field, took third base on Haley Squier's fly ball and scored on a wild pitch by Russell, who settled down to retire seven straight batters, allowing her team to pull away.

Kristal Salinas' solo home run off OC reliever Kaylie Upton in the fourth put the Rattlers up 7-1. Hannah Fields' RBI single in the fifth made it 8-1. Marcela Vasquez doubled to lead off the sixth and scored on a single by Miranda Medina, ending the game due to the eight-run rule.

Niki Davidson reached base three times for OC, going 1-for-1 with two walks.