OC earns series win, but not sweep, at Rogers State
April 30, 2017
CLAREMORE, Okla. (April 28, 2017) – It was a good news, bad news sort of day for Oklahoma Christian's softball team on Friday at Rogers State.
OC clinched the series win over the Hillcats with a 7-2 win at the Diamond Sports Complex, but Rogers State closed its season – and ended a seven-game losing streak against OC – with an 8-0 win in the second game of a doubleheader.
OC (31-21, 13-8 Heartland Conference) appears locked in as the No. 3 seed in next week's Heartland Conference tournament in San Antonio – meaning the Lady Eagles will avoid the tournament's play-in game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds – but they could have been the No. 2 seed if they'd finished off the series sweep against Rogers State (28-24, 6-15).
The winner of Saturday's single game between Texas A&M International and Lubbock Christian (Texas) will determine OC's first-round tournament opponent. If TAMIU wins, the Dustdevils will be the No. 2 seed and will play OC, while if Lubbock Christian wins, the Chaparrals will be the No. 2 seed.
Madison Nordyke (7-7) allowed four hits and struck out nine as OC took Friday's opener. Rogers State's only runs came on a fourth-inning homer by Taylor Santisteven.
By that point, OC already had built a sizable lead against Rogers State starter Mayra Helguera (2-3) thanks to a four-run third-inning outburst. Sheridan Bond, Bridget White and senior Niki Davidson – who had walked across the graduation stage in the Eagles' Nest in Oklahoma City on Friday morning – all contributed a run-scoring double during the inning.
Bond doubled and scored in the fifth to extend OC's lead to 5-2, and after Nordyke escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Eagles added two runs in the sixth, one on a run-scoring fielder's-choice grounder by Bond. But those proved to be OC's final runs of the day.
Morgen Blanchard's three-run homer – which followed a pair of infield singles – off OC starter Madison Hagood (15-10) in the third inning put the Hillcats up 3-0. OC loaded the bases in the fourth but Rogers State starter Edie Fairchild (4-4) coaxed a groundout from Caitlin Young to end the threat.
The Hillcats used a four-run fifth inning, which included three straight bunt RBI singles, to put them ahead 8-0 and end the game via the run rule. Fairchild went the distance for Rogers State, allowing only four hits.
The Heartland tournament will begin next Thursday. The bracket should be announced either late Saturday or Sunday.
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