ADA – After having half of their last tournament cancelled, the East Central University softball team has added two games to the schedule for Thursday, Feb. 15. The Tigers will head to Edmond, Okla., to face Central Oklahoma (2 p.m.) and Oklahoma Christian (5 p.m.) on each team's home field.
ECU moved to 4-4 on the season after getting in just two games last weekend in the UCO/OC Festival and winning both. The Tigers were led by sophomore
Catherine Barrera for the day, with a .667 average, four hits and two runs.
Freshman Angela Stoker and sophomore
Caitlin Kneblik earned wins in the circle, with Stoker throwing a complete game, allowing three hits and one unearned run. She struck out one batter and combined to allow just a .143 opponent batting average.
The Bronchos got three of their four games in from last weekend's festival, moving to 6-3 overall with wins over Southeastern and Southern Nazarene and falling to Rogers State. UCO has two players hitting over .450 for the season, with Morgan Heard leading the team. Heard has a .467 average, 14 hits, nine runs and seven RBIs.
The Bronchos have a four-member pitching staff, but only two have thrown more than three innings. Jayden Chestnut is the two producer so far, with a 4-1 record, three complete games and one shutout in 29.1 innings. She has allowed 19 hits and nine runs, while striking out 31.
UCO leads the all-time series with ECU 32-16, including a 17-5 mark when playing in Edmond. The Tigers fell in the first two games of the 2017 season to the Bronchos on the road.
The Eagles are 7-5 overall after playing four games last weekend at the UCO/OC Festival. OC defeated SNU, Northeastern State, Southeastern and Washburn. The Eagles added two winson Tuesday, Feb. 13 when they hosted Southwestern for a double-header.
OC is being led by Madison Nordyke at the plate. She has a .514 average, 18 hits, nine runs and six RBIs. The Eagles have used four pitchers this season, with Kaylie Upton leading the group with a 4-1 record. She has allowed 21 hits, 14 run and struck out eight in 22.1 innings.
The Tigers and OC have meet just once since 1999, with the Eagles earning an 8-0 win on their own field.
