ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State University started Great American Conference play Friday afternoon by splitting the doubleheader against Arkansas Monticello. The Rangers won the first game, rallying late, winning 5-2, but dropped game two 10-5.
With the split, the Red-and-Black start GAC play 1-1 and improve to 4-2 on the year. UAM moves to 1-1 in the GAC and on the season.
In the opener, Hannah Howell and Morgan La Neve led Northwestern with two hits apiece. Kalie Johnson, Jayden Solberg, and Allison Zanca each posted one.
La Neve would drive in four runs for the Rangers.
Howell got the start, going the distance, to improve to 3-0 on the season. She allowed a run on six hits with seven strikeouts.
In the top of the second, the Blossoms would score two runs. The first was when Sydney Webster scored on a Katelynn Stamper squeeze bunt and the second run came when Sierra Gasca scurried home on a ball dropped by Solberg when trying to throw it back in.
The lead stayed at 2-0 until the fourth, when Northwestern would get two runs to even the score at 2-2. Zanca led off with a double to right-center; three batters later, she would score on a Howell ground ball. Howell would then come around from first to score on the double to right-center by La Neve.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Red-and-Black would break the tie on one swing when La Neve would line the fifth pitch she saw to straightaway center field for a three-run homerun, knocking in Kelsey Housley, running for Howell and Solberg.
UAM attempted to start a rally in the top of the seventh with a bunt single by Bailey Camp and Caroline Tedder getting hit by a pitch, but Howell was able to bounce back and get the final two outs to close out her second complete-game victory.
In-game two, Northwestern would start the scoring, Joey Casey would single back through the box to drive in Housley with two outs giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead after two innings.
UAM would answer back with four runs in the top of the third inning. The Blossoms would get two runs off a Stamper two-run homerun to left field. Later in the inning, Grace Neal would hit a two-run double into the left-field corner, scoring Webster and Tedder.
Hannah Scoggin would start game two, allowing four runs on four hits in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts.
Allie Hufford would come on to relieve her and throw the next 2.1 innings, surrendering three runs on five hits, with two strikeouts. Victoria Vasquez would pitch the final two innings allowing three runs two earned off of five hits.
UAM would tack on another run in the fourth inning when Christa Lannon scored on a Stamper single.
The Blossoms continued to build on their lead in the fifth, getting two more runs. Summer Perkins would connect on a single through the left side to score Lauren Stanley, then Hannah Holdbrook would score on a Lannon single to right field.
In the sixth inning, Stamper would score on a Camp single to center and Neal would drive in Camp on a fielder's choice to increase UAM's lead to 9-1.
The Rangers would mount a rally in the bottom half of the inning when Casey got things started with a one-out single to left. The pitch would hit Mesa Gann, then Brooke Kolanek would double to right-center with two outs, Casey, the Zanca would single up the middle to drive in Gann and Kolanek, trimming the score to 9-4.
The Blossoms would manufacture a run in the top of the seven when Lannon would score on a Haley Godeaux bunt single.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lindsey McElroy would hit a ball off the scoreboard in center to cut the score to 10-5, when it would finish.
Game three of the weekend series will be at 11 am on Saturday, February 27.
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