OKLAHOMA CITY (April 27, 2018) – Oklahoma Christian's opportunity to potentially win the Heartland Conference softball title is still alive entering the final day of the regular season, thanks in good part to pitchers Kaylie Upton and Madison Hagood.
Upton took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as OC blanked Rogers State 5-0 in the opening game of a doubleheader on Friday at Tom Heath Field. Hagood finished off that game, then allowed only three hits to lead the Lady Eagles to a 4-1 win in the second game.
Five teams – including Rogers State – entered Friday with a mathematical shot at hosting the Heartland postseason tournament. That number is down to three before Saturday's games. OC (29-23, 18-11 Heartland) is tied for second with Texas A&M International (24-31, 18-11), chasing St. Mary's (Texas) (31-21, 17-9).
To win the conference, OC needs to beat fourth-place Rogers State (35-17, 16-11) in a 1 p.m. series finale and hope fifth-place Lubbock Christian (Texas) (30-15, 17-12) beats TAMIU in Lubbock and last-place St. Edward's (Texas) can finish its season strong at home with a doubleheader sweep of St. Mary's.
A win would assure OC of no worse than third place, no matter the results of other games. A loss to Rogers State would likely drop OC into fourth or fifth place and force the Lady Eagles to play an extra game in the conference tournament that will begin on Thursday at the home of the regular-season champ.
Upton, a junior right-hander from Pauls Valley, threw perhaps the finest game of her OC career against the Hillcats. She walked five batters but didn't allow anything close to a hit before Rogers State's Sierra Skaggs led off the top of the seventh inning with a single. Upton (13-5) walked the next batter before Hagood came on to wriggle out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
By that time, OC had built a 5-0 lead against Rogers State ace Alex Brake (14-6). In the third inning, Jessica Killer reached on a one-out bunt single and Sheridan Fullerfollowed with a double to right-center field. With two outs, Eichler looped a two-strike pitch just inside the right-field line for a double that scored both Killer and Fuller.
An RBI single by Lacey Davidson – after she'd fouled off about a half-dozen two-strike pitches – and a sacrifice fly from Kirsten Scott in the fourth put OC up 4-0. In the fifth, Madison Nordyke led off with a single and scored on Bridget White's double.
Hagood (11-10) continued OC's domination in the circle in the second game, as the junior left-hander from Comanche, Texas, struck out five batters and only allowed one run. That came in the fourth, when Skaggs singled to lead off and Rylee DeLozier – who reached on a fielder's choice – eventually scored on a double by Taylor Santistevan.
OC had seized a 2-0 lead in the second inning against Andrea Morales (12-7), with Upton and Bailey Strecker both singling before a two-run, two-out double by Scott to deep center field.
After the Hillcats pulled within 2-1, OC answered in the top of the fifth. Scott singled to lead off and the speedy Killer pinch-ran for her. Morales threw away Caitlin Young's attempted sacrifice bunt, putting runners at second and third base, and Fuller singled to score Killer to make it 3-1.
White tripled to lead off the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Strecker.
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