By RYAN SHUMAKER
Sports Editor
The Rangers softball team faced off against stiff competition in the 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark. over the weekend.
The Rangers started off the weekend with a victory over Missouri S&T University before coming up short against undefeated University of Missouri-St. Louis and other respected programs Drury University and William Jewell University.
The Rangers won against Missouri S&T 9-0, behind junior Lacey Hudson’s 2-3 batting performance.
She provided the Ranger’s with four RBI’s and scored three other Ranger runs.
Hudson and third baseman Megan Sanders both homered for the Rangers. Jalena Arthur picked up the win for the Rangers on the mound while only giving up one earned run and striking out four.
The afternoon game pitted the Rangers against undefeated and nationally ranked Missouri-St. Louis.
The Rangers dropped the contest 7-0 after struggling to find any offense.
Designated hitter Caitlin Coody would provide the Rangers with the only hit of the afternoon with the rest of the Rangers line-up struggling mightily against the Tritons pitching.
The second-day of the tournament provided the Rangers with stiff competition once again. The Rangers gave up two runs in the final inning to lose to Drury University, 5-3.
Drury jumped out in the third inning to a 3-0 lead before the Rangers offense finally got things going and caught fire.
Moore, Okla. native Stephanie Couser drove in pinch runner Alexis Hayes in the bottom of the third.
Arthur kept the score tied with her pitching until the Rangers tied up the ball game in the fifth with back to back Couser and Mcgraw hits.
Two errors put Panther runners on base in the sixth and three singles later the Rangers found themselves trailing 5-3. The Rangers got the game tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh on a Panther error, but the Rangers struggles with runners in scoring position continued as they hit as a team .182 with runners on.
The Black-and-Red dropped the final game of the weekend, 11-2, against William Jewell College. The game started off with fireworks with three different players homering, including slugger Jordan Haya for the Rangers.
Mcgraw and Sanders both provided good afternoons at the plate with multiple hits while Rangers starting pitcher Karly Murray never got things going on the mound.
She gave up eight runs, however only four of them were earned as the unearned runs issue continued to plague the Rangers.
The Rangers will look to improve their defense and get runners across the plate when they open up Great American Conference play this weekend against Southeastern Oklahoma State University, which will also serve as the home opener for the Rangers (1-7). The Rangers are scheduled to play double headers on both Friday and Saturday with opening pitch set for 2 P.M. and 4 P.M. on Friday and 12 P.M. an 2 P.M. Saturday.