BETHANY, Okla. – Throwing no-hitters is a rare occurrence in college softball, but for the Mid-America Christian University Lady Evangels, it is starting to become somewhat of a regular thing.
MACU (36-18, 17-15 SAC)) saw a third hurler – this time it was senior Courtney Anderson – fire a hitless game as the Lady Evangels completed their regular season with a sweep of Southwestern Christian (10-40, 3-29 SAC) with wins of 15-2 and 11-0, both in five innings.
MACU wasted no time in cashing a pair of walks into two runs without a hit in the top of the first. Ribbin Anderson and Kortney Brown each stole bases and scored in the inning, and though SCU scored a run in the bottom of the frame, Anderson accounted for three more runs in the top of the second as MACU opened a 5-1 lead. SCU scored another run in the bottom of the third, but MACU erupted for 10 runs on only five hits in the fourth and fifth frames as MACU took a 15-2 win in game one.
Regan Martin (12-6) allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits in five innings to earn the win, and she struck out six in the game. Leighanne Griffin (4-23) was hit with the loss, as she struggled with her command in the game. She yielded 15 runs, nine of them earned, on only seven hits, but she walked 10 hitters in the game and struck out only two.
Ribbin Anderson and Hannah Salmon each had two hits in the game. Both were 2-for-3 in the game with a walk and two RBIs, and Anderson scored three runs. Brown and Jessica Holt both singled and scored twice, and Alexis Franks walked and scored twice in the game.
Game two was all about Courtney Anderson (7-6). The senior allowed six base runners, though four of those reached on errors from the MACU defense. She issued two walks and struck out five in tossing her first career no-hitter.
Anderson was staked to a 1-0 lead before she ever stepped in the circle. Alanna Leisy doubled home Larissa Tate to open the scoring, and Leisy struck again in the third. After an RBI-double from Salmon, Leisy launched a 2-run home run to push the Lady Evangels' lead to 4-0.
MACU drew four walks in the fourth inning and those four free passes led directly to two runs, and in the fifth the Lady Evangels plated five more runs on only one hit in the inning as they broke the game open. The Eagles put two runners aboard on errors in the bottom of the fifth, but Anderson recorded a strikeout and a groundout to end the game and preserve the no-hitter, as MACU picked up the 11-0 win.
Ashley Easlon (0-3) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on four hits and two walks in three innings of work.
Leisy had the only multi-hit game for the Evangels in the contest, posting a 2-for-3 effort with a double and a homer to go with her four RBIs. Larissa Tate was 1-for-1 in the game with three walks, and three runs scored, and eight MACU players scored one run in the game.
MACU will enter the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament as the number four seed, playing in the pool at Oklahoma City University beginning on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Lady Evangels will play the first game of the pool against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (29-23-1) before wrapping up their day at 3 p.m. with a tilt against Central Christian College (14-40). MACU will then play the host Oklahoma City Stars (44-7) on Friday at 3 p.m. to wrap up pool play.
