Alva Review-Courier -

ADA, OKLA. – The East Central University softball team split the final two games of the four-game Great American Conference series at Tiger Field. The Tigers (12-8, 3-5 GAC) picked up a 12-6 win in the opening game of the day before falling 9-3 in the second.

ECU was led by junior Alissa Taylor, with a .750 batting average, six hits, three runs and four RBIs. Freshman Catherine Barrera added a .600 average, three hits, a home run, one run and two RBIs.

Freshman Sierra Skaggs picked up the win in the opening game of the day, throwing the first 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits and six runs and claiming a strikeout.

The Tigers will now hit the road for their first GAC road series of the 2017 season, March 10-11 in Alva, Okla., against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

ECU 12, SWOSU 6

The Bulldogs (8-10, 2-6 GAC) were the first to get on the scoreboard, going up 0-2 after the top of the first inning.

But it did not take long for the Tigers to respond and take control of the game, with four runs in the bottom of the first. Taylor earned a lead-off double, freshman Jaclyn Willis reached due to an error and sophomore Breecia Crawford singled to load the bases.

That set up sophomores Ellanee Allison and Madison Thompson for RBIs with singles on the next two at-bats. After the first out was recorded, sophomore Mariah Ewy sent the final two runs home with a single up the middle.

ECU added another run in the second on doubles from Taylor and Skaggs for the 5-2 advantage.

SWOSU put one across in the top of the third for a 5-3 score, but the Tigers pulled away in the bottom of the inning with five runs.

After the first out Hamric and Ewy singled to put runners on first and third. That allowed senior Hayley Hyatt to earn an RBI on a fielder's choice and Taylor to score two with a double to left.

Willis continued the inning by reaching due to an error to leave runners on first and third. Crawford then grounded out to second, but a run was allowed to score and Skaggs sent the final run home with a double to left for the 10-3 lead.

The Bulldogs tried to come back in the fourth, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to four. However, ECU added a run in both the fourth and the fifth for a 12-6 final.

In the fourth, Ewy reached due to an error and was then sent around on a single by Taylor. The run in the fifth came across because of singles from Crawford, Allison and Hamric, a walk by Thompson.

SWOSU 9, ECU 3

SWOSU got on the board quickly, with a run in the top of the first inning.

The Tigers knotted things up in the bottom of the inning on a single from Crawford, Skaggs walk and an error.

The teams then traded runs in the second inning for a 2-2 score. Hamric and Taylor singled for ECU to score the run.

The Bulldogs then took over going up 9-2, with three runs in the third, one in the fourth and three in the seventh.

ECU was able to add one more run to the board in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run by Barrera for the 3-9 final.