SAN ANTONIO — The Oklahoma Panhandle State softball team (0-2) opened the season with a pair of contests Friday at No. 12 Our Lady of the Lake University (2-0), dropping them by finals of 9-1 (five innings) and 8-2, respectively. The Aggies struggled to string together hits throughout much of the day, while miscues in the field in the late innings were too much to overcome.
Game 1: OPSU's day began on a tough note when, following an infield leadoff single and stolen base by Trinity Higgins, the senior had to be pulled from the game due to injury. Despite that, Aaliyah Dang-Gutierrez came in to run, making her way to third and stealing home as part of a double steal with Erin Hornback. Dang-Gutierrez' run gave the Aggies a 1-0 lead that held into the third inning, as Marin Jacobs (0-1) began her season with two scoreless.
An unearned run tied things at 1-1 in the bottom of the third, and OLLU tacked on two more in the fourth. The Saints preserved their 3-1 advantage into the bottom of the fifth inning after winning pitcher Annika Litterio faced the minimum in the fourth and fifth frames.
A leadoff double for the Saints followed by a defensive miscue spelled trouble in the fifth inning, and the extra out proved costly as the NAIA's No. 12-ranked team scored six runs in the frame (four unearned), ending the game on a run-rule walk-off double.
Gracie Lankford, who caught the entirety of the opener, was a bright spot in the OPSU lineup with a pair of base knocks.
Game 2: Haley Emmerson singled in the first inning for the Aggies, but that was all the offense they would get through three frames. Meanwhile, OLLU scored once in the bottom half of each of those innings, grabbing a 3-0 edge.
A scoreless fourth inning played out as junior transfer Jordan Johnson (0-1) put up her first zero in the circle, and OPSU rewarded her by getting on the board in the fifth. Jules Leach doubled and Erin Hornback drove her in to account for the run.
Trailing 4-1 in the top of the sixth, the Aggies were sparked by a double off the bat of Mia Cavallini, who came in to score on freshman Cassidy Stanhope's liner to the outfield. With two outs and Stanhope on second, Leach nearly tied the game on a deep flyout to left that was caught just in front of the fence, ending Panhandle State's threat.
OLLU took advantage of extra outs handed to it in the sixth inning, eventually using a three-run homer to nab a commanding 8-2 edge, which stood through the afternoon's final out.
What's up next: OPSU stays in San Antonio for a doubleheader Saturday at Texas A&M San Antonio (0-0), with first pitch set for 12 noon.
