Softball | 3/26/2018 4:17:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 Chickasha, Okla.—Up against another fierce competitor from within the Sooner Athletic Conference, the Panhandle State softball team fell in a four-game series with nationally ranked University of Science and Arts Oklahoma over the weekend. The Aggies took 8-0 shutouts on each end and fell 13-5 and 4-1 in the middle two games.

Friday's first matchup brought junior Lindsay Jacobs the circle for Panhandle State. Jacobs and the Aggie defense held the Drovers scoreless through the first three innings, giving up just one hit in each stanza. USAO then went on to post five runs in the fourth on four hits and one infield error. An empty fifth inning left the Drovers with a 5-0 lead going into the sixth. Another infield error on the Aggies put a runner on base with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and two singles and a double helped push through the final three runs for USAO. Freshman Jaylinn Reyes reached base with a single in the sixth for the Aggies only hit of the game. Jacobs took the 8-0 loss in 5.1 innings with 11 hits and five earned runs on credit; she threw three strikeouts, four fly-outs and two groundouts over 27 batters faced.

Hitting improved for the Aggies in game two, but fell short in comparison as the Drovers out-performed Panhandle 15-7 in hits at the plate. Seniors Faith Guzman and Brooklyne Bolton each took base with one down in the first inning; Guzman walked but was forced out during Bolton's fielder's choice play. Jaylinn Reyes came through once again with the first hit of the game, a single to left field. Reyes crossed home behind Bolton as Haleigh Scott stepped up with a double to centerfield on two outs. Panhandle held a two-run lead after the top-half of the opening inning, but the Drovers answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. With senior pitcher Julia Ibarra at the rubber, USAO led off with a triple, a single and a double from the top-third of their lineup. A third run scored on a misfire from the circle to swing the lead in favor of the home team (3-2).

The Aggies left three runners on base in the top of the second, with a walk on Ibarra, base-hit bunt from Anjunessia Husband and walk on Guzman. The Drovers added one run in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Reyes would score one run for the Aggies in the top of the third after leading off with a double, and scoring on the third walk of the inning. USAO set a 5-3 advantage with one run scored in the bottom of the third inning, but Panhandle plated two runs in the fourth to settle the score at 5-5. Guzman walked as the first Aggie batter to reach base in the top of the inning, and with one-away Jaylinn Reyes and Haleigh Scott came through clutch with back-to-back RBI doubles. The Drovers brought in one run on two singles and a double hit in the fourth to edge a one-run lead 6-5. One Aggie was left stranded in the fifth, and Ibarra sat down three Drovers in a row for a fruitless inning. Panhandle was shut down quickly in the sixth as USAO sent three-up and three-down to the plate. An outfield error placed the Drovers' opening hitter on base, setting an ominous tone for the Aggies as they entered the bottom of the sixth inning. In all seven runs were scored by the Drovers with three doubles, two singles and a hit batter behind the damage. The game was cut short after six due to the eight-run rule (13-5) after five innings of play.

USAO started strong in Saturday's opening appearance, bringing in four runs in the bottom of the first inning and holding a 4-0 lead over the Aggies through the fourth. Sophomore Emily Worley pitched all six innings for Panhandle, and bounced back ably allowing just three hits and zero runs over the remaining five innings. The Aggies delivered four hits for no runs scored in their first four periods at the plate. A double from Haleigh Scott scored the only run of the game for Panhandle State in the top of the fifth. Each team left runners on base in the sixth and the Aggies were unable to launch a rally leaving the final score 4-1, Drovers.

All three Panhandle pitchers saw playing time in the series finale on Saturday, with Worley getting the start. Replaced by Ibarra with bases loaded and zero outs in the bottom of the third, Worley gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) while in the circle. Ibarra was taken for two runs on her opening pitch followed by a three-run homer, bringing Lindsay Jacobs to the rubber. Jacobs saved the remainder of the inning, throwing three outs over three batters faced in the third. A double in the fourth scored the final run of the game for USAO and sent the Aggies home empty-handed with a game four shutout 8-0.

Leading the pack at the plate for Panhandle were Reyes and Scott. Reyes went 4-9 with one RBI and three runs in over the four-game stint. Scott sent through four runners with three hits over eight at-bats. The Aggies own a 12-21 record on the season and sit fifth in the conference standings with five SAC wins. This week Panhandle State softball takes on a 20-10 Texas Wesleyan team that owns a 6-2 record within the conference. The four-game SAC series begins Wednesday, March 28 with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Thursday's DH is set for a Noon start. All four contests will offer free live stats and live video streaming online at opsuaggies.com.