OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Panhandle State softball team (7-37, 5-25 SAC) came up short Friday in a doubleheader at Mid-America Christian University (19-20, 17-13), losing 3-2 and 7-1.
 
Early Evangel offense helped the hosts to victories in both contests, as the Aggies had their chances at the plate but could not muster enough key hits.
 
Game 1: MACU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning facing starting pitcher Marin Jacobs, coming via a one-out RBI single and two-out RBI double. An infield single for the Evangels in the third inning extended the lead to 3-0.
 
After stranding a couple baserunners earlier in the day, the Aggies nearly erased consecutive singles from Haeley Vasquez and Gracie Lankford to lead off the fifth inning by hitting into a double play. With two outs, though, Reighley Wilkerson singled home Lankford, and Summer Marron and Aaliyah Dang-Gutierrez followed with base hits that made it 3-2.
 
Jacobs was steady during the final innings, allowing the visitors a chance to win their third straight game. Despite Jacobs' own leadoff single in the sixth – followed by pinch runner Haley Emmerson's stolen base – a trio of groundouts ended OPSU's best chance to tie the game as MACU held on to take the opener.
 
Jacobs finished her day with the 17th complete game of her season and 45th of her Aggie career, allowing three earned runs and striking out two over six innings of work in the circle.
 
Offensively, Marron and Wilkerson both collected two hits to tie for the game high.
 
Game 2: A second-inning error allowed Mid-America Christian to take a 1-0 advantage in the nightcap, but OPSU came right back by capitalizing an Evange miscue in the third, tying things at 1-1 on Jules Leach's bases-loaded walk.
 
The Aggies came up empty in the fourth and fifth innings despite having baserunners in both frames, and MACU was able to get to Jordan Johnson, aided by an error, in the fifth to break the tie and then some, bringing the score to 7-1 with a six-run avalanche.
 
Johnson was solid, scattering seven hits and two walks across six innings while striking out two and surrendering four earned runs.
 
What's up next: OPSU is set to play its final regular season road games of the season Saturday, with the doubleheader against the Evangels scheduled to begin at 12 noon.