ALVA, Okla. – The East Central University softball team completed its series with Northwestern Oklahoma State University, taking down the Rangers 8-2 in game one before falling 4-12 in the series finale to split the doubleheader Friday afternoon.
 
ECU moves to 18-19 overall and 11-12 in conference play.
 
The Tigers' offense ignited in the first inning and kept fire throughout the rest of the game as ECU outhit NWOSU 11-5 in the opening game.
 
With two outs in the first, Megan Lesko singled up the middle before Gabi Quintanilla homered to left center for a 2-0 lead.
 
ECU continued the scoring in the next frame after a bases-loaded RBI single from Lesko drove in Josi Goodman to bring the score to 3-0.
 
In the third, Rachelle Mengwasser got a hit to third base and eventually made her way around the bases when Kenzie Lasker doubled down the right field line for a 4-0 lead.
 
NWOSU finally found the board in the home half to cut the lead in half to 4-2, but that would be as far as they would go while ECU added two more insurance runs in the fourth and fifth inning.
 
Elyse LeClair led off the fourth inning with a single to center field, followed by a single to left field from Jayna Reid and a hit-by pitch for Megan Lesko to load the bases with no outs. Kaleigh Ham then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring LeClair home before a Ranger error on the same play platted Reid for a 6-2 lead.
 
LeClair's sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Reid in the fifth added two more runs for the Tigers to secure the 8-2 win.
 
Taryn O'Brien picked up her seventh win in the circle this season, pitching a complete game, only allowing two runs on five hits and striking out four.
 
Four Tigers had two hits – Elyse LeClair, Jayna Reid, Megan Lesko, and Kenzie Lasker. Rachelle Mengwasser and Josi Goodman had one hit each.
 
The script flipped in game two as NWOSU would strike first in the opening inning and never looked back.
 
The Rangers added two in the first, five in the second, and two in the third to build a 9-0 lead before the Tigers made their way on the board in the fourth inning.
 
Lasker reached on a fielding error, Mengwasser drew a walk, and pinch runner Jami Watson took advantage of a Ranger error to cross home plate and add the first ECU run on the scoreboard.
 
In the home half, though, NWOSU would add two more runs to extend their lead to 11-1 heading into the fifth inning.
 
ECU tabbed three runs on four hits in the fifth after RBI's from Lesko, Quintanilla, and Lasker brought the Tigers' score out of a run-rule threat at 11-4.
 
However, an RBI double from NWOSU in the fifth would bring the deficit back out to eight runs and trigger the 12-4 run-rule victory for the Rangers.
 
Taylor Spence took the loss, pitching 1.1 innings and giving up four runs on four hits.
 
Jayna Reid, Gabi Quintanilla, Kenzie Lasker, Rachelle Mengwasser, and Jami Watson had one hit each.
 
The East Central University softball team will return to action in Ada for the series finale between rivals Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Tuesday, April 11 at 3 p.m.