OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 19, 2022) – The timely hits No. 15-ranked Oklahoma Christian produced against Northeastern State on Saturday afternoon didn't come in the Eagles' second game of the day in the Edmond Regional Festival, against Southern Arkansas.
OC jumped ahead of NSU early and scored three late insurance runs en route to a 6-2 win over the RiverHawks, but the Eagles stranded seven baserunners in a frustrating 1-0 loss at Tom Heath Field to a Southern Arkansas team that began the season ranked in the top 25 in NCAA Division II.
OC (9-3) picked up a pair of stellar performances from its starting pitchers. In the opener, freshman
Grace Anderson (2-1) allowed only one hit over five innings before
Lindsey Stoeckel came on to record her first save of the softball season. The Eagles' returning All-American, junior
Kali Crandall (5-2), was a tough-luck loser in the second game, allowing only four hits while going the distance.
Against Northeastern (6-5),
Whitney Walde keyed a three-run first inning against NSU starter Savannah Evans (1-2) with a run-scoring double down the right-field line. She later scored on a passed ball and Anderson followed with a RBI single to score
Kylie Janzen, who had walked.
Pinch-hitter
Abi LaValley smacked a two-run double during a three-run sixth inning that extended the Eagles' lead to 6-0. The RiverHawks scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh on a two-out double by Evans but Stoeckel quickly recorded the final out to seal the win.
OC stranded two runners on base in the first, third and fifth innings against Southern Arkansas (5-8) and had two runners on against starter Sydney Ward (4-3) in the seventh inning before a disputed game-ending double play.
The Muleriders scored the game's only run in the third on a two-out, solo home run over the left-field fence by Jade Miller.
In the bottom of the seventh, LaValley led off with a double to right-center field and one out later,
Hannah Pate singled to short left field, sending LaValley to third base, then took second base during the Muleriders' unsuccessful throw to try and retire LaValley.
Rian Gamble then hit a low line drive that shortstop Jaxynn Dixon caught. Replays showed LaValley appeared to make it back to third base in time to avoid being doubled off, but umpires ruled otherwise, ending the game.
On Sunday, OC will face a pair of Great American Conference schools, sister institution Harding (Ark.) at 12:15 p.m. and East Central at 4:45 p.m. OC will be looking to avenge a 3-0 loss to Harding suffered on the season's opening day, Feb. 5, during a festival in Conroe, Texas.