Softball cracks three home runs in 6-5 win vs. UNI

STILLWATER, Okla. - Abilene Christian softball split its doubleheader at Oklahoma State's Mizuno Classic for the second straight day as the Wildcats followed a 7-6 victory over Northern Iowa with a 9-2 loss to the hosts at Cowgirl Stadium.

The Wildcats go into Sunday's tournament finale vs. Tennessee Tech at 9-11 with the first pitch slated for 10 a.m. ACU then returns home to Poly Wells Field Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game vs. Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated the Wildcats earlier this season at Texas State, 3-0.
 

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Game 1 – ACU 6, Northern Iowa 5
The Wildcats hit three home runs vs. the Panthers but none was bigger than junior Holly Neese's go-ahead solo shot with two outs in the top of the seventh off UNI reliever Jaci Spencer. Neese began the day 0-for-3 but got the pitch she wanted on a 3-1 count and drilled the ball over the wall in right field for her second round-tripper of the spring.

UNI, which scored all five of its runs in the third inning, threatened once more in the seventh by getting its lead runner to third base with two outs, but Hannah Null was able to end the game with a pop up off the bat of left fielder Brittney Roby. Null's victory was her fourth of the season and her two strikeouts give her 49 on the spring.

Null entered the game in the fourth and helped her side climb back into the game by retiring the first nine batters she faced. She surrendered a leadoff bunt single to pinch hitter Tianna Drahn to start the seventh, but got a strikeout, ground out and pop up to give ACU its sixth win in its past eight games.

ACU's two earlier home runs were courtesy of shortstop Peyton Hedrick, who finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI. She went deep in the first inning off starter Alyssa Buchanan with center fielder Taylor Brown on base for her fifth home run of 2017, and later cracked a solo shot in the fifth inning against reliever Bailey Lange that tied the score at 5-5.

Sidney Holman started fine for the Wildcats, facing seven batters and giving up just one hit through the first two innings before things got complicated in the third frame. Holman allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning, and then followed an error, stolen base, walk, and wild pitch that cut the Wildcats' lead to 4-3. Lange drove in the last two runs of the inning on a single through the right side, giving the Panthers' a somewhat short-lived 5-4 lead.

Brown went 2-for-4 vs. the Panthers with two runs. She scored a second time during the Wildcats' two-run third inning that put them ahead 4-0. Right fielder Alli Spivey got on base via error to begin that inning and scored three batters later on Hedrick's RBI single. Brianna Barnhill followed with a sacrifce fly to right that easily scored Brown, who has 15 runs this season.
 

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Game 2 – Oklahoma State 9, ACU 2
ACU couldn't overcome a trio of three-run innings by Oklahoma State despite collecting eight hits and reaching base on three Cowgirl errors in its 9-2 loss Saturday night.

OSU drove starter Hannah Null from the game following a three-run first in which nine Cowgirls were sent to the plate. Rylee Bayless led off with a home run and three of the next four batters reached base to give OSU a 3-0 lead. Null then got a strikeout for out no. 2 but walked two more batters afterward and was at 48 pitches at the end of the frame.

Reliever Sidney Holman didn't fare much better as three of the first four Cowgirls she faced drew walks to load the bases, the last of which pushed OSU's lead to 4-0. A second run came home on a ground ball to second, and it was a 6-0 game after designated player Kristin Reasnor punched a single through the right side.

Following a scoreless third inning for both teams, ACU began to produce some offense with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings that cut the Cowgirls' lead to 6-2. Holly Neese singled home Peyton Hedrick for ACU's first run of the game, and then Tori Poullard scored in the fifth on Braegan Hamilton's infield single.

Unfortunately, ACU would go on to leave the bases loaded that frame and again in the seventh where reliever Logan Simunek would end the game with a pop up off the bat of Casey-May Huff. 

In between those missed opportunities, the Cowgirls added three insurance runs in their half of the fifth inning all with two outs. Alex Edinger got the offense rolling once more with an infield single and made it all the way to third on two wild pitches before scoring on a catcher's error. Vanessa Shippy then drew a walk, stole a base and scored on Taylor Lynch's RBI single that was followed by another free pass and second run-scoring hit produced by Reasnor.

Barbie Biggerstaff started for OSU and struck out three in 6.0 innings of work complete with 112 pitches.