ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State Softball hosted Arkansas Tech in a Great American Conference double-header to conclude the weekend series Saturday. The Rangers would end up losing both games to the Golden Suns, wrapping up a tough weekend for Northwestern.
Game 1
The Rangers ran into yet another fantastic pitching performance, as Jalissa Gum threw her second complete game shutout in as many days.
Madison Garza had a strong outing as well on day two, going six very strong innings before running into some trouble in the 7
th.
Arkansas Tech took the lead in the top of the 1
st after an error by
Brittany Corrales allowed Sarah Coronado to score the game's first run. Northwestern threatened in the bottom half with two runners on, but couldn't seem to gain any momentum off of the ATU starter.
Garza would hold the Golden Suns scoreless through the next two frames, leaving three runners stranded. But her defence would stumble in this one, as a fielding error by
Jordan Sutton came around to score in the 4
th, leading to Arkansas Tech's second unearned run of the ballgame.
But Jalissa Gum prove d dominant on Saturday afternoon, sitting down the Rangers in order in the 2
nd, 3
rd and 5
th innings. Senior second baseman
Amber Mills was finally able to crack Gum with one out in the 6
th, singling up the middle for what turned out to be the only hit the Arkansas Tech pitcher would allow.
The top of the 7
th saw ATU put up four runs (three earned) on three hits and an error, ending Garza's day with two outs in the inning. Head coach
Jill Webb brought in
Jalena Arthur to close out the inning, and she did just that by retiring Sydnie Henson with a groundout to third.
Unable to mount a comeback, the Rangers fell 6-0 in the first game of the doubleheader. Garza would go six and two-thirds, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out five in the loss.
Game 2
With hopes of ending recent slide, Northwestern took to the field in the second game behind the arm of sophomore
Karly Murray. The 5'9" Hinton, Okla. product breezed through a clean 1
st inning, setting the stage for the Rangers to strike first in the bottom half.
Junior college transfer
Madi Parrott started a two-out rally with a single up the middle past the diving shortstop.
Madison McGraw followed that up with a hit of her own and advanced to second on a throwing error by Arkansas Tech shortstop Sarah Coronado, allowing the speedy Parrott to score from first.
Audrey Estes then drove in McGraw to cap off the two-run 1
st inning for the Rangers.
Tech found their way onto the board in the top of the 2
nd after three straight singles scored Megan Goodnight, cutting the Ranger lead to 2-1.
Murray allowed three runs on four hits in the 3
rd, momentarily giving the visitors the advantage. But a determined and hungry Northwestern squad had an answer in the next half.
Mills got the ball rolling with a hit into right field, which Parrott and McGraw followed up with back to back walks. With the bases loaded and nobody out, the Golden Suns went to Morgan Vaughn to replace the fading Sydnee Clark in the circle. The move appeared to pay dividends for head coach Kristina McSweeney as Vaughn induced two straight groundballs, gunning down two would be runs at the plate. But with two outs in the inning, a wild pitch and a
Megan Sanders single cashed in three runs for the Rangers, giving them a 5-4 lead heading to the 4
th.
The 5
th inning proved to be the decisive blow for the black-and-red, as the Golden Suns tagged the Rangers for seven runs in the frame. With the deficit seemingly impossible to overcome, Northwestern eventually lost the series finale 12-5.
Mills, Estes and
Brittany Corrales all went 2-for-4 in the loss.
Up Next
The Lady Rangers will travel to Durant, Okla. for a weekend series against conference opponent Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Savage Storm will host Northwestern in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, March 3 and in a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 4.
For the latest news and updates on Ranger Softball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on Twitter or visit www.riderangersride.com
