Fort Worth, Texas - In both games of its doubleheader loss, Oklahoma Panhandle State University scored early, but it was Texas Wesleyan University that scored most often, sweeping Saturday's doubleheader to salvage a series split. The Aggies (12-8, 3-4 SAC) lost to the Lady Rams by scores of 6-2 and 8-4, after taking both games on Friday.
Despite the Saturday setbacks, Panhandle State freshman
Brittany Thomas made TWU's home field – Sycamore Park – her personal playground in the four-game series. Over the weekend, Thomas was a combined 10-for-16, a lofty .625 average from the plate. Thomas drove in nine runs, thanks to two doubles and two home runs. She had a .647 on-base average and a 1.125 slugging percentage in the series. She scored two runs and drew one walk, as well.
The beginning of game one had all the makings of another OPSU high-output production. The Aggies collected four singles in the frame and a 2-0 advantage. The big blow was a two-run hit off the bat of designated player Thomas to help her team to the quick lead.
Unfortunately, that would be the sum total of the Panhandle offense for the game, as the Lady Rams kept the Aggies at bay the rest of the way. In between, TWU touched up Panhandle State's
Lindsay Jacobs for 10 hits and six runs (five earned). Jacobs fell to 4-4 on the year.
Kayli Grove and
Jewell Lee each went 2-for-4 in the game. Thomas had OPSU's only runs batted in and also drew a walk, going 1-for-3.
In game two, both teams tallied three runs in the first inning. Baseball Hall of Famer – and noted contortionist of all things cliché – Yogi Berra may have best summed things up for Panhandle State when he said:
"It's like déjà vu all over again".
For the Aggies, a two-out rally produced their runs in that first frame of game two. Thomas and
Jaylinn Reyes had back-to-back singles, before
Jena Konieczka smacked a two-run double. Grove's RBI single brought in Konieczka to make it 3-0. And that would be all the offense OPSU would see until the final inning.
The Lady Rams responded with a three-spot of their own off of Panhandle hurler
Kaylor Battiest. That score stood until the bottom of the fourth, when the Lady Rams took advantage of a pair of Aggie errors to post four runs and a 7-3 lead. TWU added another in its half of the sixth that made it 8-3.
Thomas slugged a solo home run in the top of the seventh for the final 8-4 score. On the day, she was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.
Grove finished the day going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Konieczka was 1-for-3 with the pair of ribbies.
Battiest (3-3) threw all six innings to absorb the loss. She gave up eight hits and all eight earned runs, striking out two and walking three.
