Shawnee, Okla. – The #22 SAU Softball took both games of today's double-headers today against Oklahoma Baptist, with the Mulerider pitching staff holding the Bison to three runs over the two games.
The hosts started the scoring off in the third inning of game one when they manufactured a run across the plate.
The Muleriders responded in the next half-inning when a
Faith Otts double and an
Elisa Favela single preceded an
Alese Casper RBI double to even the score.
Elisa Favela hit a solo homerun in the sixth inning, her fifth of the season, to give the Muleriders a 2-1 lead, one they would hold onto despite the Bison loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Victoria Taylor picked up her tenth win of the season, throwing a complete game and only allowing six hits and one run. The senior struck out eight batters, putting her at 706 career strikeouts. The Greenwood native becomes only the third pitcher in conference history to eclipse the 700 strikeout mark.
Game two was a completely different story for the Muleriders, putting up six runs in the top of the first.
Laina Suesue hit her first triple of the season before being scored on an Otts RBI double. Favela was hit by a pitch and Casper drew a walk to load the bases.
Sarah Evans drove in a run on an RBI single;
Christina Hill and
Maeson Grace drove in runs on a bases-loaded walk and a hit by pitch.
Jaxynn Dyson and Suesue would drive in runs on a hit by pitch and a walk of their own.
Oklahoma Baptist would pull a run back in the second inning, stringing together a sequence of single.
Suesue led the fourth inning off with a walk and was promptly driven in by Otts via a two-run homerun, her sixth of the season.
The Bison responded with a solo homerun in the bottom of the fifth; the Muleriders led off the next inning with a pair of infield singles from Favela and Casper. A
Sarah Evans hit by pitch loaded the bases, and Hill promptly cleared them to bring her season total up to 17 runs driven in.
Starter Syndey Wader closed down the Bison in the next half-inning, and the Mulerider pitcher picked up her sixth win of the season, only allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out three.
The Muleriders are now 20-6 overall on the season and 16-4 in conference play. They extend their winning streak to 10 games and they go for the sweep of the Bison tomorrow.
