ADA – The East Central University softball team split the second day of Great American Conference games with Ouachita Baptist to split the overall series.  The Tigers (13-13, 8-8 GAC) first fell 10-9 in eight innings and then picked up a 9-1 win in five innings in the finale.

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ECU saw three players hit .600-or-better for the day, with senior Alissa Taylor leading the group with a .750 average.  Taylor garnered six hits, four runs, two double, a home run and two RBIs.  Junior Kahlie Barrett added a .714 average, five hits, two runs and three RBIs, while junior Ellanee Allison had three hits, two runs and five RBIs.

Sophomore Caitlin Kneblik earned the win in the circle, throwing a complete game in the 9-1 victory.  She allowed seven hits, but just one run and struck out one batter.

The Tigers will now get ready for a road series, March 23-24 at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark.

ECU 9, OUA 1 (5)
Taylor got things started quickly for the Tigers, hitting a leadoff solo home run to give ECU a 1-0 lead after the first.

Ouachita tied the game at one in the top of the fourth inning, but the Tigers countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to regain the 5-1 lead.

Sophomore Catherina Barrera started the inning with a triple and scored when Barrett singled.  Barrett moved to second on a wild pitch, allowing her to score when junior Mariah Ewy singled.  Allison was added to the bases and both runners were advanced on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Nikki Herrin. 

Freshman Tatiana Bryant drew a walk to load the bases.  The next batter was struck out, but senior Claresha Clemons kept the inning alive, with a single that also had an error on the end to score two runs.

Ouachita got a runner on in the top of the fifth, but were held scoreless.  ECU then tallied four more runs in the bottom of the inning to end the game with the run-rule and a 9-1 score.

Barrett hit a one-out single and was followed on base by Ewy with a single.  Both runners then scored when Allison doubled.  Junior Aundrea Hamric sent one more run home with a single.  Taylor was added to the base path, with a single and Clemons reached due to an error that allowed two runs to score and end the game.

Ouachita 10, ECU 9 (8)
Ouachita took a 1-0 lead after the top of the first, but the Tigers added two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 2-1 advantage.  The runs came from two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.

The teams were scoreless in the third, but both then garnered four runs in the third for a 6-5 lead for ECU.  Ouachita was then able to tie the game at seven with two runs in the fourth and only allowing the Tigers net one in the bottom of the inning.

Both teams again scored two runs in the sixth to knot the game at nine.  Neither team was able to score in the seventh inning, forcing extra innings.

Ouachita got a one-out triple in the top of the eighth and got the run home with a single by the next batter for the 10-9 lead.

ECU then struggled in the bottom of the inning, going three-up; three-down for the 10-9 loss.