Ryan Shumaker, Athletic Communications
ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State interim head softball coach
Jill Webb knows that everyone is overlooking her team after their start to the season, but in her eyes that just gives the Rangers the upper edge they need to start surprising some teams in conference play.
The Rangers (2-18, 0-8 in GAC) enter this week's home stand against East Central (12-8, 3-5 in GAC) after dropping all four games in Durant, Okla. to Southeastern. Three of the four ball games were lost by two runs or less and coach Webb and her team come back to defend their home turf at the Alva Recreation Complex knowing exactly what they must address to enter the conference win column.
"Our offense just didn't come through when we needed it to," Coach Webb said, "When we did string together hits like we know we can we scored. So it was a combination of not being able to score enough and shut it down when we needed to."
The Rangers managed 18 hits in the four games, but left 12 runners on base throughout the series, including eight of those being in scoring position. The heart of the Northwestern line-up went just 10-for-26 throughout the weekend, but just as coach Webb mentioned, when the dangerous stretch of
Madi Parrott,
Madison McGraw, and
Audrey Estes gets rolling, the Rangers can easily put much-needed runs on the board. In game two of the series, Parrott and Mcgraw both got on base and were then driven home by an Estes three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning showing that when the middle of the line-up settles in they can really do some damage.
The manufacturing of runs will be well received by the Rangers pitching staff who had arguably their best weekend of the season in Durant. Starting pitchers
Madison Garza and
Karly Murray combined on the first day of the series to allow just four earned runs while striking out 10 Savage Storm batters during the double-header. Coach Webb maintains that her staff isn't exactly overpowering, making it crucial that the bats step up and string together multiple runs in innings where they get the chance.
"Defensively we are good enough that when we step up we can hold ourselves in the game," Coach Webb said, "Then offensively we just have to back it up because we are a team that is going to give up runs, that's just the way it is going to be."
Runs will be at a premium in this coming weekend's series against the Tigers of East Central as ECU will enter the series with a .299 team batting average and have scored the fifth most runs in the league with 94. The Tigers are also ranked in the middle of the league with a team ERA of 3.00 and opponent batting average at .256. A balanced opponent provides the Rangers with quality opportunities to enter the conference win column with games set to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday at the Alva Rec. Complex.
