ADA, Okla. – The East Central University softball team opened it's Great American Conference series Thursday night against Southern Nazarene University, falling in both games of a doubleheader at Tiger Softball Field.
ECU will look to bounce back and salvage the series in the finale against Southern Nazarene, scheduled for Friday at noon.
In game one, the Crimson Storm took control early, scoring two runs in the first inning before adding two more in the second to build a 4-0 lead.
Southern Nazarene extended its advantage with a solo home run in the fourth, but
Abbey Strong answered in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot to left field to put the Tigers on the board.
SNU continued to capitalize offensively, adding a run in the fifth before a five-run seventh inning sealed the 11-1 final.
At the plate,
Abbey Strong led the Tigers with a solo home run, accounting for East Central's lone run of the game.
Elyse LeClair and
Lylith Harris each added a hit, rounding out ECU's offensive production.
In the circle,
Bradi Odom took the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) over 2.1 innings of work.
Lindsey Mauppin followed with three innings in relief, surrendering two runs, while
Addison Hughes closed out the game, allowing five runs over the final 1.2 innings.
In game two, the Crimson Storm again struck early, plating three runs in the opening inning aided by defensive miscues before adding another run in the second to take a 4-0 lead.
Southern Nazarene pushed its lead to five in the third and added insurance runs late, including a solo home run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, to complete the 8-0 shutout.
Offensively,
Elyse LeClair,
Hannah Whitaker, and
Kenni Tudor each recorded a hit for the Tigers, marking ECU's only offensive production in the game.
On the mound,
Kennedy Schroeder started and allowed four runs (two earned) over 1.2 innings.
Lindsey Mauppin followed with five innings, giving up four runs while striking out one, and
Bradi Odom closed out the game with a scoreless final third of an inning.