OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 21, 2022) – Oklahoma Baptist hadn't played Oklahoma Christian in softball in nearly a decade before Monday. After the way OC freshman
Grace Anderson shut down the Bison, OBU might want to wait a few more years before another meeting with the Eagles.
Anderson, making only her seventh collegiate start, limited OBU to only one hit as the Eagles – ranked No. 15 in NCAA Division II – cruised to a 5-0 win in the finale of the Edmond Regional Festival at Tom Heath Field.
Kylie Janzen hit a solo home run and
Rian Gamble and
Aaliyah Brown each delivered a run-scoring hit for OC (11-4), which gave its first-year head coach,
Shalee Rodriguez, a win in her first coaching matchup against her alma mater. Then known as Shalee Cordell, she starred for the Bison from 2012 to 2015.
OC leads the all-time series against OBU by a 52-29 count and has won five straight against OBU (8-5), although before Monday, the most recent game between the nearby rivals came on April 8, 2012, when both schools were members of the NAIA and the Sooner Athletic Conference. Both now are in Division II, with OC in the Lone Star Conference and OBU in the Great American Conference.
Anderson (4-1) struck out seven batters and walked five. OBU's only hit came with two outs in the top of the third inning. Mia Moddelmog drew a leadoff walk and moved to second base on a wild pitch before Anderson struck out the next two batters. Adi Reese then singled to left field and Moddelmog tried to score, but OC left fielder
Hannah Pate threw a strike to catcher
Whitney Walde, who tagged Moddelmog to end the inning.
OC took the lead in the bottom of the third. Pate hit a leadoff double to right-center field off OBU starter Aspen Younce (4-1) and Gamble followed with a triple to left-center. One out later, Walde's sacrifice fly scored Gamble to make it 2-0.
Janzen led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run to center field. Singles by Walde and
Abi LaValley and a walk to Janzen loaded the bases ahead of a pinch-hit, two-run single by Brown that made it 5-0.
The Eagles will have an 11-day break before they open their LSC schedule with a home doubleheader against Lubbock Christian (Texas) on March 4.