ADA, Okla. – The East Central University softball team hosted Newman University for a nonconference doubleheader, picking up a 4-3 walk-off victory in game one before closing the day with a 5-0 win in game two.
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board in the opening inning after
Jayna Reid doubled to right center and then came all the way home from
Megan Lesko's hit to right field to go up 1-0.
ECU would double that lead in the next frame when
Jami Watson singled to left, advanced to second on a wild pitch, then moved to third base after a sac bunt from
Josi Goodman.
Elyse LeClair followed through with an RBI single to left to drive in Watson for the 2-0 lead.
The third inning proved to be a challenge for ECU as Newman found the board and took over the lead by adding three runs on two hits and two Tiger errors for a 3-2 advantage.
The score would remain at a deadlock until the bottom of the fifth when the Tigers clawed their way back to tie the game.
Megan Lesko led off with a double, advanced to third from
Kenzie Lasker's sac bunt, and
Gabi Quintanilla drove her home with a single to right to knot it 3-3.
Unable to regain the lead, the game was forced to extra innings as neither team could add runs in the seventh frame.
After shutting down the Jets in the top of the eighth, ECU capitalized on their opportunity to take the game in the home half with a lead-off single from LeClair followed by a sac bunt from Reid and groundout from Lesko that advanced her to third base. With a runner in scoring position,
Rikki Hadley's grounder to second was enough to plate LeClair for the 4-3 walk-off win.
Lauren HerrNeckar picked up the win in relief, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing no runs and two hits while adding three strikeouts.
Megan Lesko led with three hits, while
Elyse LeClair,
Jayna Reid, and
Jami Watson had two apiece.
After a long first game, game two was much quicker and saw less action from both teams as four scoreless innings went by before the first run was added to the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Gabi Quintanilla reached on a fielding error and advanced to second off
Jami Watson's sac bunt.
Vanessa Tamayo followed with a big triple to right center to plate Quintanilla and take the 1-0 lead.
Newman could not find a way to answer back while the Tigers added four insurance runs in the sixth when
Jayna Reid's RBI single drove in
Josi Goodman before
Gabi Quintanilla sent a three-run bomb over the wall to bring the final score to 5-0.
Starting pitcher
Taylor Spence pitched a complete game in the win, going seven innings and allowing no runs on six hits while adding five strikeouts.
Jayna Reid,
Gabi Quintanilla, and
Vanessa Tamayo each had a hit.
The East Central University softball team will host Oklahoma Baptist University for a Great American Conference series this weekend.
