By Madison Parrott
NWOSU Sports 

Rangers softball team drops two on Friday against Arkansas Tech

 

Trey Lunn

Lady Ranger Alexus Bailey hits the second home run during Game 2 versus Arkansas Tech Friday afternoon. The previous home run was hit by Kalie Johnson during the previous at bat for the Rangers.

ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rangers softball team faced a tough opponent in Arkansas Tech University on Friday afternoon. ATU is currently ranked second in the Great American Conference standings.

The Rangers earned a total of fourteen hits on the day with five players earning more than one hit between both games. Alexus Bailey continued her hot streak in the batter's box as she went 3-for-7 on the day with one home run, two RBIs, and one run.

Kalie Johnson, Madison Friest, Jada Overby and Alexa Moses all earned two hits each. Johnson went 2-for-6 with a home run, and two RBIs. Moses took advantage of her at bats in the second game going 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs of her own. Friest and Overby both got a hit in each game going 2-for-5 with Friest earning a double.

Ashlie Green and Taylor Russell were the only other Rangers to tally a hit.

The games for tomorrow have been moved up to 10 a.m. to try and avoid the inclement weather in the forecast for the afternoon.

Game 1

The Rangers put up a great fight through the first game. The Golden Suns were able to score in the top of the first inning to give them a 2-0 lead.

Northwestern came firing back in their half of the first with a two-out double by Friest. Morgan La Neve would follow her teammate's lead with a single of her own to the right-side scoring Friest and cutting into Arkansas Tech's lead. Overby would hit her own single but could not plate anymore runs.

A solo home run by the shortstop Sarah Coronado, her first of four on the day, in the top of the second inning gave the Golden Sun's a 3-1 lead. She led the Golden Suns with ten RBIs.

Green started a Northwestern rally in the bottom of the second with a lead-off single through the left side. Shelbie Roberson would come in to pinch run for Green and showed off her speed as she scored on close play at the plate after Johnson sent a slow roller to the pitcher. McElroy, who had previously walked, also scored on the play from an errant throw tying the game at 3-3.

In the top of third inning Arkansas Tech would again answer back as they took advantage of some Ranger miscues. An error and a passed ball gave back the lead to Arkansas Tech 4-3.

The Black and Red would hold the score at 4-3 through the fourth inning. Unfortunately, the Golden Suns took over from this point on as their bats came alive.

Another Coronado home run, this one being a grand slam would start a rally for Arkansas Tech and led them to a six-run inning on seven total hits in the top of the fifth inning to pull away from Northwestern.

Four more runs in the top of the sixth inning on four hits, with a two-run dagger sent over the left field fence would close the door on the Rangers. A solo single by pinch hitter, Taylor Russel, was all the Black and Red could muster. They would take the loss in six innings due to the run rule to Arkansas Tech 14-3.

Game 2

Northwestern returned to the second game determined to come out swinging. Back-to-back home runs, in just as many pitches, by Johnson and Bailey gave the Rangers a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. Overby sent her second single of the day up the middle of the field but was then called on an interference to end the inning.

Arkansas Tech would also come out swinging earning two hits in top of the second inning. A bases loaded walk gave the Golden Suns their first run of the game to make the score 2-1.

As the Black and Red were sat down in order in the bottom of the second, Arkansas Tech rode their momentum into the top of third inning by scoring four runs on five hits, with all four runs coming from homers.

A scoring opportunity was snatched from the Rangers in the bottom of the second. Johnson sent a single into left field and found herself on second after a passed ball. Friest followed with her own single and sent a shot to the center fielder who would come up throwing and get Johnson out at home to end the inning.

The Golden Suns continued to feel the power as they sent their third home run, scoring two, over the fence to give them a 7-2 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning after holding Arkansas Tech, Moses led off the inning with a sharp single in the five-six hole. Roberson would again enter the game, but this time as a pinch runner for Moses. Johnson would follow with a walk as she moved Roberson into scoring position. Bailey sent a single into right field easily scoring the speed Roberson to give the Rangers their third run of the game.

Trey Lunn

Northwestern's Lindsey McElroy tracks down the deep center field ball resulting in an out for Arkansas Tech.

The top of the sixth came with an explosion of offense from the Golden Suns as they earned four more runs on four hits. Coronado sent her fourth and final home run deep over left center to start the rally as she led her team to an 11-3 lead.

The Rangers needed to earn another run, in order to prevent the run-rule from going into effect and give them another inning. A Kirk hit-by-pitch, her eighth on the year, followed by a Kathryn Wells walk got the Rangers into scoring position. Alexa Moses sent her second hit of the game to shallow right field giving Kirk plenty of time to score on the play making it 11-4.

The Golden Suns fifth and final run came in the top of the seventh, followed by a triple for two more ATU runs. The Rangers would be unable to answer in their half of the seventh as Arkansas Tech took the second game with a score of 13-4.

Northwestern will play again tomorrow morning for their second half of the series against Arkansas Tech with the first pitch set for 10 a.m.

 

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