OKLAHOMA CITY – Friday was a long day for the Mid-America Christian University softball team. The Lady Evangels, due to schedule changes in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament forced by rain from overnight Wednesday, were forced to play the first and last two games of the day at the conference tournament, and the Lady Evangels played well in the two contests.
MACU (38-19) opened the day with a convincing 10-1 win over Central Christian (14-42), and the Lady Evangels competed well in the nightcap against NAIA #5 Oklahoma City University (47-7) before falling 6-0.
MACU struck first in the first game of the day when Kortney Brown and Hannah Salmon notched consecutive singles with one out in the top of the first inning. Brown then scampered home with the first run of the day when Salmon got caught in a rundown between first and second, and MACU took a 1-0 lead.
An unearned run in the bottom of the first allowed the Tigers to tie the game, but MACU immediately answered back. MACU loaded the bases with one away in the second when Jessica Holt singled through the hole at second to drive in Jessica Johnson and Stella Millican to give MACU the 3-1 lead. Millican drove in a run when she was hit by a pitch in the third inning, Larissa Tate followed with a sacrifice fly, and Holt singled again to cap a three run third inning, and after three frames, MACU held a 6-1 lead. MACU loaded the bases in the fifth frame, but they were unable to score, but the Lady Evangels did plate four runs in the top of the sixth as Alanna Leisy and Courtney Hickman each had RBI hits to push MACU's lead to 10-1. The tigers went in order in the bottom of the inning, and MACU claimed a run rule victory, winning 10-1 in six innings.
Courtney Anderson (8-6) walked four in the first two innings, but after that she settled in nicely. She threw a complete game and gave up only one unearned run on two hits and four walks. She also struck out one in the win. Cheyann Sales (4-12) was tagged for 10 runs on 15 hits in six innings, and she had one walk and one strikeout in the loss.
Salmon and Leisy were both 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the game, Brown scored twice and was 2-for-4, and Holt was 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Hickman had the only extra-base hit in the game, a two RBI double in the sixth.
The nightcap took on the feel of a pitchers' duel from the start.
Regan Martin got her second start of the SAC tournament, and she was able to pitch her way out of a jam in the first inning. Julianne Abeloe tripled with one out, and she appeared to score the first run of the game, but Jaci Smith was called out for being outside the batter's box when she bunted on the attempted squeeze play, and Martin struck out Brittany Perez to end the threat.
Martin pitched around a two-out wingle in the third inning, and she induced a 6-4-3 inning ending double play after a one out safety in the fourth.
Meanwhile, OCU's Abby Meador was matching Martin pitch for pitch. Meador retired the first 12 batters she faced, until a single from Hanna Harris leading off the top of the fifth broke up her perfect game bid. MACU was unable, however, to move the runner to second base, and in the bottom of the fifth, OCU broke through.
The stars scored six times on five hits in the fifth frame, and the Stars grabbed a 6-0 lead. The margin proved to be more than enough for Meador (10-1) who retired the final nine hitters she face to earn the shutout win.
Martin (13-7) took the loss, allowing six earned runs on seven hits in four and one-third innings. She walked one – the only walk of the game by either pitcher – and struck out one as well.
Harris' single accounted for the only base runner of the game for MACU.
The Lady Evangels will now wait until Wednesday to host the NCCAA Central Region softball championship. The schedule will see tournament games take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with the final schedule to be set once the would-be No. 1 seed Central Baptist College finds out if they have qualified for an NAIA Opening Round tournament.
