OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 16, 2019) – In its coldest game ever at Tom Heath Field, Oklahoma Christian's bats seemed plenty warm enough.
Eight of OC's nine starters contributed to the Lady Eagles' 13-hit attack and
Madison Hagood controlled the pitching circle during an 8-2 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in the Raising Cain's Edmond Regional Festival II.
OC (11-1) is off to its best 12-game start in program history, with one more game – on Sunday against Colorado-Colorado Springs – before starting Heartland Conference play at the league's preseason favorite, St. Mary's (Texas), on Thursday.
"We got out there and played," OC coach
Shanon Hays said. "Hagood went out and had a solid start, our defense was solid and we swing the bats OK. I didn't think we were great at any part of the game but we were good enough.
"Hopefully we'll continue to have some momentum going into St. Mary's and conference (play). From what I hear, St. Mary's is really good, so we need to go down there with confidence and doing things the right way and feeling like a good ballclub."
The game-time temperature was 27 degrees with a wind chill of 21 degrees, but OC quickly jumped on Northwestern (0-3), which already had played one game in the frigid temperatures before facing the Lady Eagles.
Singles by
Brie Dunckel,
Kaylie Upton and
Lindsey Stoeckel put OC up 1-0 in the first inning and Stoeckel and
Bailey Strecker each hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning to make it 3-0. An RBI double by Strecker keyed a two-run fifth that gave the Lady Eagles a 5-0 lead.
Hagood (5-1) cruised through five innings, not allowing a runner past second base, before the Rangers used three hits to rally in the sixth. A two-run single up the middle by pinch-hitter Madison Friest pulled Northwestern within 5-2.
OC answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Upton tripled to right-center field off Northwestern starter Karly Murray (0-1) with one out and
Bridget White and
Sierra Schultz followed with run-scoring doubles. That brought on reliever Kathryn Wells, who threw wild pitches on her first two pitches, allowing Schultz to score to make it 8-2.
Upton, who went 3 for 4 at the plate, pitched a scoreless seventh inning for OC. White, Schultz and Stoeckel had two hits each for OC.
OC will play Colorado-Colorado Springs at 1 p.m. Sunday at Central Oklahoma's field in Edmond.
Shanon Hays discusses the game:
https://youtu.be/6fl_IxqalHU
