Softball Team Splits With Oklahoma Christian

Likely counting on a fairly easy day, the USAO softball team left Bill Smith Ballpark Tuesday with a bittersweet taste, as the Drovers split a doubleheader with Oklahoma Christian.  USAO won the first game 6-2, but lost 1-0 in the nightcap.

With the split, USAO moves its record to 40-14 overall and 14-4 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. After a week-long break, the Drovers finish off the season with three doubleheaders in less than a week. First up for USAO is an April 28 trip to Alva for a 3 p.m. twin bill against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

In Tuesday’s first game, Oklahoma Christian opened with two runs in the top of the first, but USAO bounced back to take the lead for good with a run in the bottom of the second and two in the third. The Drovers put the game away with a three-run rally in the fifth for a 6-2 win.

Sophomore Morgan Skelley keyed USAO’s fifth-inning rally with a two-run home run to score junior Dana Askins. Junior Nikki Aguilar provided the other run with a two-out single to score freshman Tanna Truelove. Senior Crystal Judkins scored in the third on a passed ball, and Skelley belted a double to left field to score Askins.

Aguilar also provided the Drovers’ second-inning run with a sacrifice fly to score junior Stephanie Hey. Askins (3-for-4), Skelley (2-for-3), Hey (2-for-3), and junior Kindra Gregory (2-for-3) had multiple hits for USAO. Askins (21-5) struck out five and allowed two runs on five hits in the complete-game victory.

Things were a bit tougher in the nightcap. Despite getting eight hits, USAO left 12 runners on base, and committed three errors in a 1-0 loss. Oklahoma Christian scored in the top of the fourth, when Hey tried to cut down a stolen base attempt by OC’s Lindsey Lawson. Neither Judkins, played second, nor Truelove, at shortstop, covered the base, and Hey’s throw sailed into center field, allowing a run to cross the plate.

The Drovers best opportunity to score came in the bottom of the first when they had runners at second and third with two outs. But, USAO only had one runner reach third base for the rest of the game. Judkins was a perfect 4-for-4 in the game, including her 12^th double of the season. Askins (21-6) struck out eight and allowed six hits in the loss.