OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 4, 2021) – It's perhaps unusual to face your archrival in your season opener – and that wasn't the original plan for Oklahoma Christian – but the Eagles persevered and ground out a solid win on Thursday.

Kali Crandall, the Lone Star Conference's preseason softball pitcher of the year, handcuffed Southern Nazarene on only one hit and the 13th-ranked Eagles had just enough offense to post a 2-0 win on the first day of the Edmond Regional Festival at Tom Heath Field.

OC (1-0) had been scheduled to play its first festival game against Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), but due to COVID-19 protocols, that game was cancelled Thursday afternoon. So Southern Nazarene, which was to be one of the Eagles' opponents on Friday, stepped in to face the Eagles.

SNU (0-2) took advantage of two walks by Crandall (she had five in the game) in the top of the first inning, putting runners on second and third base, but Crandall coaxed a fly ball out of Skye Ah Yat to end the threat.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, despite a double play that wiped out a leadoff single by Brie Dunckel. After the double play, Katelyn Dunckel walked and moved to second on a fielding error on a ground ball by Abi LaValley. A subsequent pickoff throw by catcher Victoria Rodriguez sailed into center field, allowing Katelyn Dunckel to score.

The Crimson Storm picked up its only hit in the fifth, a leadoff infield single by Sydney Sundbye, but she never advanced beyond first base.

OC scored another two-out run in the sixth, as Katelyn Dunckel doubled to left field and scored on a single by LaValley.

Chelsea Vandiver (0-1) was a hard-luck loser for SNU, allowing only five hits. The win was OC's fifth straight over the Crimson Storm and increased the Eagles' all-time lead in the series to 59-20.

OC is scheduled to host Southwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. and SNU at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, although those matchups were expected to change.