WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Softball battled No. 20-ranked Oklahoma Baptist tightly in both games of Saturday's doubleheader but came up short, falling 3-0 and 8-7.
The losses keep the Bulldogs winless through two weeks of conference play. SWOSU will regroup and prepare for a road series at Southern Nazarene next weekend.
Game One
OBU 3, SWOSU 0
The opener featured a pitcher's duel early, as
Blaire Gentry tossed five scoreless innings to keep the Bison at bay. Oklahoma Baptist finally broke through in the sixth with a two-run home run that ended Gentry's afternoon. The Bison added one more run in the inning against reliever
Jaycee McKee, accounting for all three runs in the contest.
SWOSU managed just three hits, though the box score didn't tell the full story. The Bulldogs squared up multiple balls that found gloves instead of grass.
The fifth inning proved especially telling. With the game scoreless,
Riley Lusk led off with a single to give SWOSU momentum.
Taylor McMahon followed with a sharply hit liner, but it was snagged by the OBU pitcher, who doubled Lusk off first base to end the threat. It was that kind of afternoon offensively for the Dawgs.
Game Two
OBU 8, SWOSU 7
The nightcap turned into a back-and-forth battle after Oklahoma Baptist struck first with three-run innings in the first and third to build a 6-0 lead.
SWOSU answered immediately in the bottom of the third, stringing together four hits and plating five runs to climb right back into the contest.
Emily Wedel tripled to lead off the fourth, and
Sierra Woods later drove her in to tie the game at 6-6. After OBU briefly reclaimed the lead in the fifth, the Bulldogs responded again in the sixth.
Maddie Rahon sparked the inning with a leadoff single, and
Josie Oakley's RBI groundout knotted the score at 7-7.
The lead changed for good in the seventh when the Bison used small ball to manufacture the go-ahead run.
SWOSU had one final chance in the bottom half after drawing a leadoff walk, but a ground ball double play erased the threat.
The Bulldogs outhit OBU 14-11 in the loss. Six different players recorded two hits, including Wedel and Rahon, who each scored twice.
Lily Barfield (L) closed the game in relief, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing two runs.
