McPHERSON, Kan. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State softball team (5-16, 3-5 SAC) built early leads in both of its games on the road Saturday at Central Christian (9-7, 4-4), but they did not hold as the Aggies fell, 7-3 and 5-4.
 
Game 1: OPSU went ahead 2-0 in the third inning following a one-out walk drawn by Rylee Hrbacek and a single off the bat of Aaliyah Dang-Gutierrez. Both came around to score using small ball while taking advantage of Tiger mistakes.
 
Central Christian answered by stringing together three straight two-out hits in the bottom of the third off Jazmin Torres to open up a 4-2 lead. Torres had pitched two scoreless to open the day.
 
Trailing 5-2 in the fifth inning, Hrbacek, Liliana Vaquera and Gutierrez each singled to cut the deficit to 5-3 before the rally stalled. Central Christian plated two in the bottom of the frame, making the final score 7-3.
 
Jordan Johnson completed the game in the circle for Panhandle State, tossing two innings without allowing an earned run.
 
Game 2: The visitors pounced on the Tigers by bringing in exactly one run in each of the first three innings. Summer Marron's RBI groundout got the scoring started in the first, while Hrbacek and Haeley Vasquez brought in the next two runs on a single and double, respectively.
 
With the Aggies leading 3-0, it was Central Christian's methodical approach that eventually tied the game, 3-3, through five frames. Outside of a solo homer in the fourth inning for the Tigers, their other two runs came via the unearned variety against OPSU ace Marin Jacobs.
 
Panhandle State reclaimed a 4-3 edge after loading the bases in the top of the sixth, as Hrbacek scored on a passed ball that also moved Jacobs – on base from her single – to third. Despite Jacobs being 60 feet from home with nobody out, the Aggies went down in short order, clinging to a one-run lead.
 
A pair of Tiger singles in the bottom of the sixth put a comeback into motion, and they scored the game-winning run on a one-out groundout.
 
Flora Moreno went 3-for-4 to lead the Aggie bats in the finale, while Vasquez and Hrbacek both recorded multi-hit games.
 
Jacobs struck out three and allowed three earned runs in her six innings of work.
 
What's up next: OPSU hosts No. 3 Oklahoma City (11-3, 0-0) at Jim Quimby Field for a four-game set March 13-14.