Softball | 3/7/2020 7:56:00 AM
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Box Score 2
WICHITA, Kan. – The Oklahoma Panhandle State softball team enjoyed a pair of exciting wins in its opening day at the Friends University Invitational. The Aggies (7-14) topped host Friends University, 3-2, in their opener and then had a walk-off win over College of St. Mary (Neb.), 6-5, in eight innings.
Versus Friends, OPSU found itself down 2-0 after one inning of action. But the visiting Aggies knotted the game at 2-2 just a half-inning later.
Brissa Rivera laced a one-out single past third and
Caitley Adams followed with a walk. With two out,
Abby Gregory had a bloop single to left that loaded the bases for
Jaylinn Reyes. Reyes ripped a double down the leftfield line to plate both Rivera and Adams.
That score would stand until the fifth inning, when the Aggies would tally the would-be winning run. Reyes led off the frame with a double to center and took third on
Kinzie Jones' foul out to rightfield.
Camryn Pryor then hit a deep foul out to leftfield, allowing Reyes to come home on the sacrifice fly, 3-2.
That would be enough for the Panhandle squad, especially with
Kaylor Battiest in the circle. After allowing just a pair of first inning singles, the Falcons were hitless the rest of the way versus Battiest. Battiest went 7.0 innings and struck out 11 Friends batters to notch the victory.
Reyes finished the game 3-for-4 with the two big runs batted in, collecting half of her team's hits in the game. Gregory, Pryor and Rivera had the others. Jones was also hit by a pitch.
Aggie newcomer
Sarah Conley gave a gritty pitching performance in the second game versus College of St. Mary, despite being charged with the five runs. Conley went al 8.0 innings and posted an OPSU personal high 12 strikeouts, while walking just three.
Conley had some breathing room as her teammates continued their hot hitting versus the Flames. In the bottom of the third, the Aggies gave Conley a 3-0 lead, thanks to doubles by Rivera and Reyes that made it 1-0. A
Jena Konieczka single put runners on the corners. Jones singled to center to drive in Reyes and, with two out,
Haley Neal drew a bases-loaded walk for OPSU's third run.
In the top of the fourth, CSM pushed across three runs of its own to tie matters at 3-3, only to have the Aggies re-take the upper hand thanks to a Reyes RBI single in the bottom half of that same inning. However, in the top of the fifth, the Flames added two runs and took the upper hand, 5-4.
Panhandle was able to get even in the bottom of the sixth after a
Kayli Grove leadoff single to right, was followed by Rivera's second double of the game. With one out, Grove would score on a sacrifice fly from Reyes to make it 5-5.
That score stood through the seventh and the contest went into extra innings, with the international tie-breaker in effect (placing a runner at second base to begin the inning). Conley did not allow CSM to score in its turn in the eighth.
With
Chrislyn Dovers placed at second to begin OPSU's at-bats, she was sacrificed to third by Conley. Neal then drilled a hard grounder to short. The ball was misplayed and Dovers easily trotted home with the winning run.
Reyes continued her hot hitting by going 2-for-4, with her third double of the day, and driving in three runs. Rivera was 2-for-3, with two doubles.
The Aggies play a rare three game in one day on Saturday on the final day of the Friends Invitational.
