NORMAN, Oklahoma — The ACU Wildcats dropped both ends of a doubleheader Monday afternoon at Love's Field, falling 10-3 to Wichita State before dropping a 9-1 run-rule decision to No. 2-ranked Oklahoma in the OU Tournament.
The Wildcats went 2-3 in the tournament and are 3-12 on the season going to the Longhorn Invitational next weekend in Austin. ACU will play New Mexico State (1:30 p.m.) and No. 1-ranked Texas (6:30 p.m.) next Friday and will play New Mexico State (11 a.m.) and South Florida (4 p.m.) next Saturday. The Wildcats will finish their tournament play next Sunday at 5:30 p.m. against Incarnate Word.
In the second game of Monday's doubleheader, ACU starting pitcher Lina Russo threw 2 2/3 of no-hit softball and had a 1-0 lead before the Sooners – the four-time defending national champion – put five straight hitters on base. Cydney Sanders hit a two-run home run to give OU a 2-1 lead, and after a walk, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas drove in another run with a double to right-centerfield. McEnroe-Marinas later scored on an infield single to make it 4-1.
The Sooners added another run in the fourth and ended the game on the run-rule with four more runs in the fifth inning to make it 9-1.
Valerie Ornelas was 2 for 2 with an RBI for ACU, driving in Taylor Bachmeyer in the first inning with ACU's only run in the game.
Earlier Monday, the Wildcats dropped a 10-3 decision to the Shockers, who beat them 3-1 on Sunday. Monday's game was tied 1-1 before Wichita State scored four times in the bottom of the third to take a 5-1 lead. Wichita State hit three home runs in the inning: two solo shots and a two-run blast. ACU got back in the game in the top of the fourth on a two-run single by Bachmeyer, cutting the Shockers' lead to 5-3. But Wichita State scored five times in the sixth to put the game away.
