East Central University Athletics

Softball Takes First Two Games From Oklahoma Baptist

4/13/2018 9:17:00 PM

ADA – The East Central University softball team earned two wins in the opening games of the Great American Conference series against Oklahoma Baptist at Tiger Field.  The Tigers (19-23, 14-18 GAC) first claimed a walk-off 5-4 win in a rain-delayed first game of the day and then took game two 8-2.

ECU had a strong day at the plate, hitting .400 as a team and having five player hit .600-or-better.  Freshman Jacey Henry hit .667 in the second game, with two home runs, two hits, two runs and four RBIs.  Freshman Megan Dake also added a .667 average (one game), with two hits.

Junior Aundrea Hamric, freshman Tarah Hilton and junior Chloe Wigington all hit .600 on the day, with three hits each.  Hamric added three runs, while Hilton tallied three RBIs and Wigington two runs and one RBI.

Henry was also strong in the circle, throwing a complete game, allowing six hits and two runs, while striking out three for the win in game two.  Freshman Angel Stoker picked up the win in the first game, throwing that last part of the seventh inning.
The teams will hit the field, Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m. for the final doubleheader of the GAC series.

ECU 5, OBU 4
The Bison (14-23, 11-18 GAC) got things started early, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  Both teams then went quiet at the plate until the bottom of the fourth, when the Tigers were able to tie the game at two.

Junior Mariah Ewy drew a one-out walk to get things going and was sent to third with Hamric singled. The bases were then loaded when senior Alissa Taylor walked.  That allowed sophomore Catherine Barrera to earn both RBIs with a single to left.

OBU was able to regain the lead in the top of the sixth, with a two runs (4-2).  ECU got runners on in the sixth, but were unable to score.

The Tigers then held the Bison scoreless in the top of the seventh before mounting their come-back in the bottom of the seventh.

After the first out, Wigington was sent in as a pinch hitter and hit a solo home run to left, to cut the deficit to 4-3.  Junior Breecia Crawford fowled with a single before the second out was recorded.  Hilton added a single to put runners on first and second.  Taylor then came to the plate and hit a walk-off double to score the game-tying and game-winning runs (5-4).

ECU 8, OBU 2
Both teams were scoreless in the first inning of game two, with OBU earning a 1-0 lead after the top of the second.  However, that is when the Tigers took control, scoring six runs in the bottom of the inning for a 6-1 advantage.

Wigington started the inning with a single and came around when Henry hit the first of her two-straight two-run home runs.  Dake, Hamric and Taylor then singled to load the bases.  After the second out of the inning, senior Claresha Clemons singled to score a run and leave the bases loaded.  Hilton then added the final three runs of the inning with a single to right.

ECU added two more insurance runs in the third inning to increase the lead to 8-1.  This time it was a single from junior Ellanee Allison that allowed Henry to earn two RBIs with her second-straight home run.

The Bison tried to make a come-back, but were only able to score a single run in the fifth before the game ended with an 8-2 ECU victory.