ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Northwestern Oklahoma State Softball continued their late-season road swing as they headed for Arkansas to take on the Henderson State Reddies in GAC action. The black-and-red ran into a great performance from HSU starting pitcher Michelle Sorensen in the first game as she threw a no-hitter (2 BB) in a 3-0 Henderson State victory. But the Rangers answered back in game two by riding a big three run 4
th inning to take the 3-1 win, splitting the afternoon.
Game 1
Finding themselves in the middle of a tight post-season race, the Rangers sent junior
Madison Garza to the circle in an effort to stave off the Reddies from climbing up the conference standings. Coming off a loss to Southwestern on Tuesday in which she gave up six earned runs (second highest of the season), Garza was looking to bounce back to her dominant form in the series opener Sunday.
HSU managed to snag three early runs off of the Edna, Texas native after a sac-fly and a two-run double gave the home team a 3-0 lead after one inning.
That would be all the offense that junior right hander Michelle Sorensen needed as she held the Rangers hitless for her fifth career no-hitter.
Macy Madewell broke up the perfect game bid in the top of the 5
th when she drew a lead-off walk which
Megan Sanders followed up with a free pass of her own, but both runners were stranded.
Certainly not to be overlooked is the performance by Garza who after giving up three early runs, held Henderson State to just two hits and one walk over her final five innings of work.
Northwestern dropped game one by a final of 3-0.
Game 2
Sophomore
Karly Murray led the Rangers to a big 3-1 win in game two after surrendering just one unearned run in the 1
st inning, after the first batter of the game reached on an error and came around to score on a sac-fly. Murray picked up her eighth win of 2017 by tossing seven innings while holding the Reddies offense to just one hit and three walks.
The Ranger bats were held relatively quiet until the 4
th when
Madi Parrott and Madewell led off with back-to-back base hits. After picking up a run thanks to an error by Reddies center fielder Alexis Morton, Sanders was hit by a pitch to give
Brittany Corrales a chance to do some damage. The Seward County Community College transfer from Greely, Colo. gave Northwestern the 3-1 lead with a two-run double scoring Sanders and catcher
Audrey Estes.
Henderson State threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the 7
th when a leadoff single and a Corrales error gave the Reddies runners on second and third with nobody out. But Murray shut the door on HSU by getting Sorensen on strikes before inducing two fly-outs to secure the Rangers' 16
th GAC win of the year.
Up Next
The Rangers will be back in action for a rare Monday Great American Conference doubleheader in Arkadelphia. Henderson State and Northwestern will wrap up their series with a twin-bill set for 10 a.m. with the second game scheduled for noon.
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