Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Goodwell, Okla.—Senior Samantha Arledge served up seventeen strikeouts through 11 innings of work over the weekend, as the Aggies added two Heartland Conference wins in their three-game series against the University of Texas-Permian Basin.

A disappointing loss in Friday's first game saw the Aggies drop a 4-2 lead, allowing the Falcons to rally for seven runs in the seventh inning and take the 9-4 victory.  Bouncing back in game two OPSU Softball had a seven-run inning of their own in the second, and finished the game in five with a 9-1 run-rule win. The Aggies second win over the Falcons came off a 2-1 defensive grudge match on Saturday, in which both teams combined for just seven hits over the seven inning game.

Arledge got the start in game one and was holding her own against the Falcons until a line drive up the middle caught her on the hand prompting a pitching change early in the fifth inning. The Aggies held a 2-0 lead when Julia Ibarra replaced Arledge from left field with one runner on base. Arledge held the Falcons to just two hits and zero runs during her four innings on the rubber; she tossed seven strikeouts in 15 batters faced. Ibarra took the loss after allowing nine hits and eight runs (four earned) in 2.2 innings; Criselda Luna came in to close with two outs in the seventh and let one run score before striking out the final batter.

Each team totaled 12 hits in game one and had four doubles and one homer in the matchup. Julia Ibarra scored the Aggies' first run off back-to-back doubles by Brooklyne Bolton and Darcie Wilson in the first inning. Anyssa Barbosa then crossed home in the bottom of the third after reaching base on error and advancing on a sacrifice bunt and two singles. OPSU gained a three-run lead in the fifth inning when Madison Heathington hit her eleventh home run of the season, sending a ball over left-center for the solo score; and Barbosa was brought through again in the sixth on a double by Ibarra and a single by Bolton. Barbosa hit a double in the fourth with two outs, but was left on base by a pop-up.

Game two on Friday got off to a quick start, with each team allowed just one hit and zero runs in four plate appearances in the first inning. With Criselda Luna leading off in the circle for OPSU, the only run scored by UTPB was in the second inning as a double and an RBI groundout brought through their lead off runner. The Aggies answered with seven runs in the bottom of the second inning, including a two-run homer by Anyssa Barbosa; four errors by the Falcon defense accounted for the other five runs that inning. Luna allowed only one hit for the remainder of the game and earned her sixth win of the season in five innings of work; she ended with four hits and one earned run and threw four strikeouts in the game.
Heathington scored one run in the fourth on a wild pitch, and the Aggies' final run came through in the fifth as Ibarra reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch and was sent home on a fielder's choice followed by an RBI single. Barbosa's homer was the Aggies' only hit that went for extra bases on game two; two of UTPB's four hits in the game were doubles.

A colder and windier day on Saturday led to a slow day at the plate for both teams. The Aggies totaled five hits in 23 at-bats while their opponents only managed two hits in the same number of appearances. Arledge held the Falcons to a .087 team batting average and sat down ten of the 28 batters faced with strikeouts. The only run allowed by Arledge came in the first inning after the lead-off hitter reached base on an error and advanced to second on the throw; that runner then scored on a double down the right side with one out. Arledge struck out the next batter and the third out followed on a pop-up to Faith Guzman at second base. The only other hit allowed in the game by Arledge was a bunt in the fifth inning.

The Aggies lagged the Falcon's one-run lead through the top of the fourth inning. Brooklyne Bolton led off the bottom of the fourth and took first base on an infield error; she scored after Madison Heathington advanced the two runners on base with a sac-bunt, and Guzman stepped up with an RBI single to the shortstop. A sac-fly by Sarah Gregori then scored Darci Wilson from third base. The final three innings remained scoreless for both sides and the Aggies took the 2-1 victory giving Arledge her fifth win of the season.

For the series OPSU averaged .325 in hitting led by Heathington who went five of nine at the plate and totaled eight bases for a .889 slugging percentage. Heathington also led the team in RBI with three. Guzman held the highest batting average for the Aggies at .600 and totaled six singles on ten at bats. Arledge held a 0.00 ERA in her two appearances and Luna maintained a 1.69 ERA in two appearances. UTPB pitchers combined for an overall team ERA of 4.58. The Falcons batted .240 as a team for the series and committed eight errors in the field.

Currently sitting sixth in the Heartland Conference ranks with a 15-20 overall record, the OPSU Softball team is on pace to post their best season in recent history, since 2012 when they held a 19-30 record. The Aggies will travel to Claremore, Okla. this week to take on provisional Heartland members Rogers State. The Hillcats rank eighth in the league with a 14-21 record and four conference wins, making a good matchup for OPSU. The teams will face off on Friday, April 1 with a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Saturday's game three is set for a Noon start. The Aggies will return home for a great conference matchup with Lubbock Christian University April 8-9.