OKLAHOMA CITY – Monday afternoon's softball double header for Mid-America Christian University against Southwestern College was a tale of two completely different games in nearly every aspect of the day. The day started out warm and base runners were plentiful, but by the end of the afternoon, the temperature had dropped and the pitching had taken over.
Larie Amos – making her first collegiate start in her third season of intercollegiate softball – tossed the second no-hitter in the NAIA era of MACU softball in the second game of the twin bill, as MACU (4-2) defeated Southwestern College (2-2) 2-0 in the second game after the Builders won the first game 4-3.
Amos, a 5-9 junior from Oklahoma City, was dialed in from the start. She hit a batter in each of the first two innings, but in both cases, she pitched around the base runners with ease, and then she put it on cruise control through the middle innings. Amos retired nine in a row in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings before an error by shortstop Jessica Johnson allowed a two-out base runner in the fifth. Amos issued her only free pass of the day in the sixth frame, and she started to struggle with her control as fatigue set in, but she worked her way out of the jam by inducing a fielder's choice ground ball and a soft liner back to herself in the circle. Johnson made a spectacular play diving to her right at shortstop to rob Paige Hall of a hit, and two batters later, Amos and Johnson teamed up to keep the ball on the infield to do it again, but the throw to first was dropped for an error. Amos shook it off and struck out the pinch hitter Kirsten Mueller looking to complete the no-hitter.
The no-no is the second in MACU softball history, and the first since a 5-inning perfect game from Jackie Hilterbran against Rogers State University on April 24, 2012.
Offensively, Amos helped herself, driving in the game's first run on a bloop double down the right field line in the first inning. Hanna Harris added a bullet double in the bottom of the third to double the Lady Evangels' lead. Ribbin Anderson and Hannah Salmon had the only other hits in the game, both singles, and both players scored after their base hits.
Amos (1-0) earned the win, and Hannah Foltz (0-1) took the loss despite pitching well herself. Foltz allowed two earned runs on four hits in six innings, and she recorded only one walk and struck out three Evangels.
In game one, both teams struck early, and then both teams missed opportunities to add runs later in the game.
Southwestern struck first in game one, plating four runs with two outs in the top of the first. The Builders got back-to-back doubles from Hall and Cady Norton – Hall's clearing the bases which were loaded at the time – to stake Kenzie Lyons to a 4-0 lead before she ever toed the rubber in the game.
Salmon answered with a two-out two-RBI single to drive home Amos and Harris in the bottom of the frame, but from there, both teams threatened but neither team was able to convert until late.
The Builders stranded single runners in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings; they left two on in the second frame, and they left the bases loaded in the seventh frame. Meanwhile, the Evangels stranded two runners each in the second, third, and fifth, and they left an additional runner aboard in the fourth frame, as the pitchers for both teams continued to hang zeroes on the scoreboard.
MACU entered the bottom of the seventh still trailing 4-2, and Harris lined a 1-out double to right-center to bring the tying run to the plate. Anderson pinch-ran for Harris, and after Amos flied out to center, Salmon singled home Anderson to pull MACU to within one at 4-3. Alanna Leisy followed with a rocket shot single off the leg of Lyons, but Salmon tried to out-run the defense to third on the play and was unsuccessful, as Lyons recovered to take the throw from Hall and apply the tag to end the game.
Lyons (2-0) earned the complete game victory, yielding three earned runs on 12 hits and one walk while striking out two in the game. Courtney Anderson (2-1) took the loss, giving up four earned runs on nine hits, one walk, and one strikeout.
Salmon had a big game at the plate for MACU, posting a 4-for-4 afternoon with a double and three RBIs. Harris and Leisy each had two hits as well.
MACU will wrap up their 8-game home stand to open the season on Saturday when they welcome Haskell Indian Nations University (0-0) to Jack Allen Field in Oklahoma City. First pitch for the double-header is scheduled for Noon.
