GOODWELL, Okla. – The St. Edward's Softball team busted out the bats on Saturday afternoon as they combined for 20 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State in Heartland Conference play. They run-ruled the Lady Aggies, 13-1 in game one, followed by a 7-4 victory in game two.
"What a fun day of softball. We came out swinging the bats really well today," head coach Lindsay Gardner said. "We attacked early in the count, and put some beautiful swings on the ball. Defensively, we made some great plays and communicated well. We are excited to come out swinging again tomorrow!"
Game 1: SEU, 13-1 (5)Neither team would score in the first inning, but the top of the second inning would get the Hilltopper offense started.
MELINA SANCHEZ had the big blow for St. Edward's (16-12, 6-2 HC) with a two-run double to place the visitors ahead, 2-0.
Two walks and two more hits produced two more runs for the Hilltoppers in the third inning.
SAMANTHA GILMORE and
SHELBI ROOHMS both tallied RBI during the inning.
The big blow came in the fourth inning when
MORGAN DUFOUR came up with a big two-out, three-run home run. It was her team-leading seventh of the season.
The Hilltoppers really started to pour it on in the fifth inning as the team batted around. Roohms, who was making her first start in almost a month, continued the onslaught at the plate. She launched her first career home run during the inning, and St. Edward's scored six runs off of five hits and two errors by Panhandle State (12-19, 1-7 HC).
LAUREN SLATTEN (9-5) would finish off the Lady Aggies in the fifth inning for a run-rule victory. Slatten allowed just one run, while giving up two hits, walking three and striking out six batters.
Game 2: SEU, 7-4In game two, the Hilltopper offense started right out of the gates. In the top of the first inning,
ALEX MAYFIELD singled to lead off the game and stole second.
KACI OLSON drove in Mayfield for the first run of the game. Olson would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch.
The second inning saw
NICOLE PARNELL reach with a two-out single. She stole second and scored on a single by
MEGAN HOFFMAN.
Panhandle State fought back with three runs in the third inning to tie the score, 3-3. However, the Hilltoppers responded with four runs in the fourth inning to give them a comfortable lead.
The fifth inning saw the Lady Aggies push across a run, but Slatten came on in relief and was outstanding; retiring all eight batters she faced for her second save of the season.
Mayfield led the offense, going 4-for-7 with four runs scored on the day. Roohms and Sanchez combined for six RBI during the doubleheader.
"It was nice to see Shelbi and Melina find some confidence at the plate," Gardner said. "They both added some consistency to the lineup today, and I look forward to that continuing to build as we approach post season."
The two teams will wrap up their three-game series with a single game on Sunday. First pitch is set for noon at Aggie Field. Live stats will be available on GoHilltoppers.com
