Note: This recap has been updated to indicate that game 2 has been considered final by the Sooner Athletic Conference.
 
McPHERSON, Kan. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State softball team (5-14, 3-2 SAC) warded off a seventh-inning comeback on the road Friday at Central Christian College (6-7, 1-4) in the opener, winning 4-2 in the eighth frame before the nightcap was called due to lightning in the bottom of the fifth with Central Christian declared the winner, 7-0.
 
Game 1: Starting pitcher Marin Jacobs (4-5) worked around early traffic in the first two frames, buying the Aggies' lineup time to get on the board.
 
Scoreless through two innings, Haley Emmerson beat out an infield single and swiped second base – one of seven stolen bases for OPSU in the contest – before scoring on Aaliyah Dang-Gutierrez' two-out single to center.
 
Ahead 1-0 in the top of the fifth, Cassidy Stanhope began a two-out rally with a double to left. She stole third and then scored on an error, giving the Aggies a 2-0 advantage.
 
Jacobs was on the verge of a third straight shutout as she entered the final regulation frame with OPSU still up by two, but four Tiger singles tied the game at 2-2. With two runners on and one out, Jacobs induced a comebacker and started a game-saving, 1-5-3 twin killing to send the contest to extra innings.
 
Emmerson was the automatic runner on second to open the eighth inning, and she soon found herself on third following a pair of walks drawn by Stanhope and Summer Marron. The speedy outfielder scored on a passed ball, and Haeley Vasquez delivered an insurance RBI with a single that plated Stanhope, making it 4-2, Aggies.
 
Despite not getting the shutout, Jacobs got her complete game in short order following a double play and groundout.
 
Game 2: Gutierrez led off the nightcap with a single and stole two bags, but a baserunning mishap later in the inning extinguished the threat.
 
Central Christian scored three in the third aided by an Aggie error, and it took a 3-0 lead into the fifth. Kaylee Jund notched a leadoff double in the frame, but a double play kept Panhandle State off the board.
 
Miscues in the field in the bottom of the fifth inning led to extra Tiger outs, and the hosts took advantage, striking for four unearned runs off of starting pitcher Jordan Johnson – who allowed just one earned in the contest – before the game was called due to lightning.
 
What's up next: OPSU concludes the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 12 noon.