By RANGERS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Softball team showed their never back down attitude as they beat UAM 3-2 in an emotionally charged 13 inning contest. Despite losing the first game of the day 1-0, the Rangers took the series 3-1 and seem to be gaining some steam heading into the second half of the season.
Game 2 March 18
Offense was hard to come by in the first game, and game two on the afternoon proved no different.
Both teams were unable to get much of anything going until the fourth inning, when the Rangers threatened with two runners. Back-to-back singles by Mills and Parrott left runners at second and third, but UAM starter Kaylee Freeman got Estes to ground out to end the inning.
Karly Murray was in the circle for the Rangers, a day after firing a complete game shutout over UAM. The right-hander allowed just two hits in her first four frames before Aubree Head led off the fifth with a double to left. Murray cruised through the first seven innings of the ballgame, but the Ranger bats just couldn’t give her the support she had earned.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth that the Rangers gave themselves any opportunities to score. Only needing one run to break the scoreless deadlock, Northwestern tried to beat the Blossoms with some small ball. With Brittany Corrales leading off the inning with a single through the right side, Webb looked to Mills to sac-bunt her over to second. But the Rangers couldn’t capitalize, stranding Corrales and extending the game.
The tenth inning saw both squads escape sizable jams, but ultimately neither could take advantage. Murray left the bases loaded and Freeman shrugged off a leadoff double by Estes that never came around to score.
Northwestern had yet another chance in the 11th when Peyton Garrett made it to second on an error by Monticello second baseman McKenzie Rice. Corrales bunted, allowing Garrett to make it to third with just one out. Mills appeared to have ended the game with a line-drive to the right side, but Rice made an incredible catch and throw to double off Garrett at third, who couldn’t scramble back to the bag in time.
UAM finally broke the drought in the top of the 12th when a leadoff hit-by-pitch and an RBI single by Rice gave the Cotton Blossoms the game’s first lead.
When the game looked all but over with two outs in the bottom half, a walk to Estes set the stage for Macy Madewell to be a hero. The Texan outfielder drove a 2-1 offering from Freeman off the wall in right-center, allowing Estes to scramble around the bases and tie it up at one a piece. But the euphoria was short lived. Maranda Clendenin sent a charge through her dugout when the UAM shortstop annihilated a ball over the fence in left to once again give Monticello the advantage.
But with heart and determination, the Rangers somehow found a way.
Another error by the UAM infield gave Jordan Sutton a free bag to lead off the 13th. With pinch runner Hayes in the game, Garrett singled to the right side to give the Rangers runners at first and second with nobody out. After throwing 12 innings of one run softball, UAM coach Alvy Early lifted Freeman in favor of game one starter Kendra Coleman to try to close out the game. The move appeared to pay off when Coleman caught Corrales swinging, however the Rangers had other plans.
With the whole Northwestern crowd behind her, Amber Mills came through with a game-winning 2-RBI double to left that finally put an end to the 13 inning marathon.
Murray’s fantastic weekend ended with a gutsy 188 pitch outing in which she allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits. The Ranger starter struck out 15 without walking a batter in her 13 innings of work in the 3-2 walk-off victory.
On March 17 of the tournament the Rangers also dominated. The Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers rode two strong pitching performances from Garza and Murray to a sweep over the Arkansas-Monticello Cotton Blossoms on Friday. Northwestern won the first game in tight 2-0 fashion, but exploded for nine runs in the first inning to take a one-sided 11-0 victory in game two.
Game 1 March 17
With the weather finally on their side, the Rangers took the field against a quality opponent in Arkansas-Monticello in the first of a four-game Great American Conference series. Looking to build off their strong performance against East Central just a week ago, the Rangers were relying on junior Garza to lead the charge. And she delivered an outing for the ages.
Northwestern found some early offense thanks to a Madison McGraw two-run home run to left, cashing in Corrales to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Armed with all the run support she needed, Garza took to the circle with a lights-out mindset.
After surrendering a leadoff walk to McKenzie Rice in the first inning, Garza sat down the next 17 Blossoms batters. The only other blemish came in the sixth when Garza made an error with two outs, but the right hander was unfazed and was able to get the final four outs.
The Rangers threatened again in the fourth and sixth innings, but UAM starter Coleman threw a solid game of her own allowing just two earned runs on seven hits and no walks. NWOSU catcher Audrey Estes gave Coleman some trouble, going 2-for-3 in the first game.
With Garza cruising through her 12th start of the season, she seemed calm as ever in the seventh inning with the opportunity to close out a remarkable feat standing right in front of her.
The Ranger dugout erupted when Garza got Maranda Clendenin to fly out to left, with McGraw making the catch to secure Northwestern’s first solo no-hitter in the NCAA era.
Game 2 March 17
After securing two wins against ECU, head Coach Jill Webb felt confident sending sophomore Murray to the rubber to keep the momentum in their favor.
She picked up right where Garza left off, retiring the Blossoms in order in the top of the first, setting the stage for what would become the Ranger offense’s most explosive inning this season.
UAM pitcher Maylie Bain made her second start of the year, and the Rangers took advantage of the junior transfer from Harding early and often.
After Corrales led off the game with one of her four hits on the afternoon, it looked like Webb’s Rangers would continue to display their small ball skills as Mills sac-bunted Corrales over to second.
But five straight hits for the Northwestern batters ruined Bain’s day after recording just one out. The junior allowed five earned runs and six hits before giving way to Mallory McWhorter who didn’t fare much better.
The Rangers managed five more hits off of McWhorter as she was lifted in favor of Paisley Pratt, who got the Blossoms through the next three and two-thirds innings.
However, the damage was already done as the Rangers scored nine runs in the frame, in part thanks to a multi-hit inning from both Corrales and Madi Parrott, who each singled twice.
UAM tried to answer in the next half, but Murray pitched her way out of a jam, stranding runners at second and third.
Northwestern followed up their big inning with another crooked number, as a Corrales single drove in two more runs for the Rangers in the bottom of the second.
With the safety of an 11 run lead, Murray breezed through the remainder of the game earning her fourth victory of the 2017 season. Murray tossed five innings of shutout softball, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six Cotton Blossom batters.
Nearly every Ranger starter recorded a hit in game two, with three multi-hit performances from Corrales, Parrott and Madewell. Northwestern would take an 11-0 victory over Arkansas-Monticello.