OKLAHOMA CITY - The Mid-America Christian University softball team had a pair of good chances to score in the first game of their double-header at Oklahoma City University. Unfortunately for MACU, the Evangels were unable to convert those chances, and the NAIA #2 Stars cruised to a pair of wins.
MACU (7-5, 4-3 SAC) battled to go the distance in game one, but the Evangels were unable to find a clutch hit, and OCU (22-2, 4-0 SAC) took both games of the double-header by scores of 7-0 and 15-0.
MACU's Amber O'Bryant reached base with one out in the top of the first, but the Evangels were unable to advance her beyond first, and in the bottom of the inning, OCU opened the scoring. The Stars got a pair of runs on a 2-run home run from Jaci Smith, and they tacked on three more in the bottom of the second frame to build a 5-0 lead.
After a scoreless third inning, MACU put together their best scoring chance of the game in the top of the fourth. Hannah Salmon singled to start the inning, and Hanna Harris reached on an error to put runners on first and second with nobody out. The Evangels pinch ran Shayla Morris at first for Harris, and promptly executed a double steal to put runners at second and third with nobody out. After a strikeout, Larie Amos popped a single just far enough in front of the plate to be out of the reach of a diving Smith, and the bases were loaded with one out. Brook Hendrickson came up after another strikeout, and on a 2-2 pitch, she hit a sharp grounder up the middle, but OCU shortstop Kennedy Jackson cut it off and flipped the ball to second to retire Amos, and the Evangels came away empty handed.
The Stars immediately put two more runs on the board to push their lead to 7-0, but MACU's bullpen stopped the Stars from pushing another run across. Taylor Bankston and Kayla Batt combined for two and one-third shutout innings, and the duo allowed only two hits and one walk in the game.
MACU put together one more rally in the seventh, putting runners on second and third with two outs in the frame, but a runner was picked off at second base to end the game, and OCU took the win, 7-0.
Jaden Shores (11-1) earned the shutout win, throwing seven innings and allowing three hits and two walks while fanning eight. Caitlin Butler (0-2) took the loss, as she yielded seven runs on 11 hits and one walk without a strikeout in three and two-thirds innings.
Ribbin Anderson singled, as did Salmon and Amosfor MACU's only three hits in the game. Salmon and Brittany Ward also drew walks in the game.
Game two got off to a rocky start for MACU. The Evangels gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning, thanks in part to three MACU errors in the frame. OCU added six more runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by Smith's second two-run homer of the day. Smith added a third long ball in a four-run fourth as OCU took the second contest in five innings, 15-0.
Amos (0-1) lasted one inning and yielded seven runs on six hits. Kylie Dodson (11-1) threw her third shutout of the season, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out seven Evangels.
Anderson and Alanna Leisy had the two hits for MACU in game two.
The Evangels will be back in action on Saturday at home when they welcome in the Pioneers of Crowley's Ridge College (5-10) to Oklahoma City for a double-header at Noon.
