CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Roger State softball team was limited offensively as they were swept in the doubleheader versus No. 3-ranked Oklahoma City University Saturday at the Hillcat Complex.
RSU was held hitless until the seventh inning in the opening game as OCU tallied 13 hits in the 8-0 victory for the Stars. In game two the Hillcats were unable to capitalize on a five run fifth inning to fall 12-6 in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
Stars pitcher Lily LaVelle proved to be too much for the Hillcats in the first game as the senior struck out 14 batters while issuing one walk in a one-hit outing. The lone Hillcat hit came in the bottom of the seventh on a single to leftfield by Taran Threet.
OCU jumped ahead in the first inning with a sacrifice fly by Angela Lovelady. An error by the Hillcat second baseman scored another run to put the Stars up 2-0.
The Stars added one run each in the third and fifth innings but it was the sixth inning that proved most costly for RSU. LaVelle helped her own cause with a two RBI single up the middle in the top of the sixth. The next batter up singled to score Tori Joyner as OCU pushed the lead to 7-0. The visitors added another run in the top of the seventh to claim the 8-0 victory.
LaVelle (28-2) registered the win for OCU as she pitched the complete game one-hitter for the Stars in just 106 total pitches.
Laura Fleck (27-11) received the loss for the Hillcats as the Muskogee, Okla. native allowed eight runs, six earned, on 13 hits in seven innings of work.
GAME TWO
The Stars wasted little time in the night cap as the visitors from the west jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning.
RSU was able to trim the deficit to a run in the bottom of the second on a Katrina Loy single to leftfield scored Linsey Curtis from second to pit the score at 2-1 after two innings.
OCU was able to add a pair of runs in the top of the third as LaVelle plated a run on a fielder's choice putout at second. Lovelady's single to left scored LeeAnn Lopez to give OCU the 4-1 advantage.
A four run inning by the Stars to lead off the fifth inning put the visitors up 8-1. But RSU was able to plate five runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning.
The scoring was started on a RBI single by Kaitlin McCool with the bases loaded to score Ashlee Dillman. Ashlie Fauchier's double down the right field line stayed fair allowing Jessie Wilhelm and Kirsten Leppla to score and trim the Stars lead in half 8-4. RSU wasn't finished as the next at-bat Shona Guerrero hit a single to leftfield scoring McCool and Fauchier to cut the deficit to 8-6. The Stars went to the bullpen and brought in LaVelle who retired the next two batters and send OCU to the plate in the top of the sixth.
That's when the Stars struck with four runs and pushed the score to its final mark of 12-6. LaVelle retired five of the next seven batters she faced with strikeouts to earn the save and secure the OCU victory.
A.J. Woodward (11-1) received the win for OCU pitching 4.1 innings allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits.
Fleck (27-12) tallied the loss for the Hillcats as she faced three batters allowing two runs on three hits. A'lex Koonce pitched five innings allowing six runs, three earned, on eight hits in relief action.
Prior to the first game Kayla, a 15 year-old from Claremore, Okla., who was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia threw out the ceremonial first pitch as part of the Hillcat Softball team's partnership with Make-A-Wish Oklahoma®. The Hillcat softball team is working with Make-A-Wish throughout the month of April to help grant Kayla's wish, a trip to Hawaii with her family where she hopes to swim with the dolphins.
Rogers State (35-14, 8-10) returns to competition on Monday, April 23 in Chickasha, Okla. to face USAO. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
