ALVA, OKLAHOMA - Northwestern Oklahoma State Softball closed out their season series with Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs Tuesday afternoon with a doubleheader. Game one the Rangers won 5-4 taking the final game of the conference series for a three game conference sweep. Southwestern took the final game of the season series which was a non-conference game.
The Rangers are now 16-23 on the season following the doubleheader split with a 6-19 conference record. Rangers are now 5-7 at home this season.
GAME ONE:
The Rangers were led in hitting by Rosemary Rivera, Laney Anderson, and Marcy Spearman each with two hits. Spearman led the team with 2-RBIs in the win. Five different Rangers scored a run.
Ireland Caro pitched a perfect first inning to start the game. Northwestern carried the momentum into the home half of the first inning as Rivera doubled to right field to leadoff the game. After Sherwood walked and stole second as Rivera went home to score. Winters followed driving in Sherwood for the early 2-0 lead. With runners on the corner, Spearman stepped up and tripled to right center field driving in two runs. Rangers scored a fifth run on an RBI groundout by Avery Calrk as the Rangers struck for five runs to start the game.
Southwestern answered back with two runs in their half of the second inning as Carmo singled to leadoff the inning before Hewitt stepped up with a 2-RBI triple scoring two runs. In the bottom of the inning Northwestern looked to answer back with two hits but Southwestern was able to escape any damage and keep the game at 5-2 through two innings.
The Bulldogs, looking to continue to climb back in the game, picked up three hits in the inning but the Ranger defense prevented any runs as on a double to left center were able to throw out the runner at the plate.
The game remained 5-2 into the top of the fifth inning when Southwestern scored a run after a hit batter Boline doubled to left field scoring Rahon cutting the Ranger lead down to two at 5-3. In the sixth inning the Bulldogs had back to back walks before Howell escaped any damage keeping the Rangers in front heading to the final inning.
In the seventh inning Southwestern hit a leadoff double before scoring one run on a sacrifice fly to right field cutting the deficit down to one but a line out to short ended the game for the Rangers closing out the 5-4 victory.
GAME TWO:
In the second game of the doubleheader six different Rangers picked up a hit as Gabrielle Sanchez led the team with 2-RBIs on a 2-run home run.
Southwestern was the first to strike in game two as a leadoff single and a Ranger error put runners on the corners to start the game. A ground out pushed across the game's first run and an early lead for the Bulldogs at 1-0. Lusk followed with an RBI groundout for a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
The Rangers had a scoring opportunity in the second on a double by Macy Spearman and a walk to Tatum Winters but two ground outs ended the inning scoreless for the Rangers.
Southwestern Oklahoma State pushed across one more run in the second inning as two errors for the Rangers set up an RBI single for Rahon to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to lead into the fifth inning when they extended the lead after back to back doubles for a 4-0 lead as McMahon came across to score. Hewitt later in the inning hit an RBI single to push the lead to 5-0 for the Bulldogs.
In the sixth inning the Rangers struck as Laney Anderson singled to right center for the first hit of the inning before Sanchez came up and delivered a two run home run cutting the deficit to 6-2. The Bulldogs added one more before closing out the 7-2 victory over the Rangers to split the doubleheader.
Overall the Rangers won the season series 3-1 over the Bulldogs in the season series.
Northwestern will travel to Arkansas Monticello for the conference weekend series against the Blossoms starting on Friday April 12th.
