USAO Advances To SAC Softball Title Game

ALVA – After losing the first game, the USAO softball team rebounded with two straight victories Thursday to advance to Friday’s championship game at the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament.

The second-seeded Drovers are scheduled to face No. 5 Oklahoma Christian at 1 p.m. for their first SAC tournament title. The “if necessary” game is set for 3 p.m.

USAO reached the title game with a 5-1 victory over fourth-seeded Northwestern and an 8-0 victory over No. 3 St. Gregory’s.  The Drovers, however, lost 1-0 to Oklahoma Christian in the first game Thursday. USAO also moves its record to 45-16 overall.

In Thursday night’s victory over Northwestern, USAO trailed 1-0 after the first inning, but came back with a run in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth and two more in the sixth for the 5-1 win. The Lady Rangers scored their only run in the top of the first on an error.

Freshman shortstop Tanna Truelove scored the Drovers’ first run in the sixth on an errant throw by Northwestern second baseman Carla Berumen. USAO senior second baseman Crystal Judkins drove in the other run with a single to score junior third baseman Nikki Aguilar.

In the fourth inning, Aguilar scored on another Northwestern error, and junior outfielder Courtney Foley scored on a wild pitch. Sophomore catcher Morgan Skelley belted her 15^th double of the season in the bottom of the third to score junior pitcher Dana Askins.

Judkins (2-for-3), Truelove (2-for-3), and Aguilar (2-for-3) had multiple hits for the Drovers. Askins (23-8) struck out five and allowed a run on five hits in her 28^th complete game of the season.

In the second game of the day, USAO scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, two in the second, one in the fourth and four in the sixth for an 8-0 run-rule win over St. Gregory’s. Junior Kindra Gregory (22-8) hurled a three-hit shutout for the victory. The Drovers managed just two hits in a 1-0 loss to Oklahoma Christian in the first game.