#3 USAO Outscores MACU 20-3 to Sweep Double-Header in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Friday night, the No. 3 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (22-6, 12-2 SAC) dominated their way to a double-header sweep on the road at Mid-America Christian University (13-11, 9-5 SAC). The Drovers opened the series with an impressive 11-2 win, followed by a 9-1 run-rule victory in game two.

With the sweep, the Drovers improve to 54-15 against the Evangels all-time, dating to April 2008. Furthermore, USAO owns a 29-5 record against MACU since 2017.

GAME 1

In the series opener, the Drovers used strong pitching and defense, along with three big innings on offense to cruise to an 11-2 victory against their rival.

The Drovers fell behind early in the bottom of the first inning, surrendering one run. However, USAO immediately bounced back and claimed a 4-1 lead, highlighted by a two-run home run from Jadyn Goucher in the top of the second inning.

MACU trimmed their deficit to 4-2 with one run in the bottom of the third inning. Once again, the Drovers quickly retaliated with four more runs in the top of the fourth to stretch the lead to 8-2. Sophie Williams then helped her own cause with a two-run home run, as part of a three-run rally in the top of the seventh to extend USAO's lead to 11-2.

As a team, the Drovers offense produced 12 hits and reached on three walks, while the Evangels tallied five hits and walked three times. Both defenses committed one fielding error in the first game of the day. 

Sophie Williams got the start in the circle for USAO and went all 7.0 innings, surrendering one earned run on five hits and she struck out four batters to improve her record to 11-3 this season.

USAO's offense was led by a perfect 3-3 performance at the plate from Taylor Cronic, including a double, a walk, two runs score, and two runs batted in. Jadyn Goucher also had a big game at the dish, going 2-3 with a double, a home run, a walk, three runs scored, and two runs batted in. 

Kinzie Williams concluded 2-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in, while Malea McMurtrey went 2-4 with a run score and a run batted in. Sophie Williams helped her own cause with her first homer of the season as she finished 1-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs.

Maveryck Lightfoot went 1-2 with a walk and a pair of runs scored. Taygan Graham finished 1-4 with a run scored.

GAME 2 

The Drovers led from start to finish in game two, cruising to a 9-1 run-rule victory to sweep the twin bill.

USAO wasted no time to claim the lead in game two, as Jadyn Goucher drove in a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning. However, the Evangels quickly cut their deficit in half with one run in the bottom half of the first.

USAO controlled a 2-1 advantage until the top of the top of the fourth when Sierra Selfridge launched her 10^th home run of the season to extend the lead to 4-1. The Drovers added insurance with a RBI-double from Shaylann Grace in the top of the fourth inning to stretch the lead to 5-1. USAO continued to add to the lead with three runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Taylor Cronic. In the top of the sixth, Shaylann Grace launched a solo-home run to give the Drovers a commanding 9-1 lead, prior to shutting down the Evangels in the bottom half of the inning, ending the game early due to the "mercy rule".

As a team, the Drovers offense produced 13 hits and reached one walk, while the Evangels recorded together six hits and walked three times. MACU committed three fielding errors, while USAO fumbled the ball only once on defense.  

Jayden Anderson got the start in the circle for USAO and went all 6.0 innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits, and she struck out three batters to improve her record to 6-2 this season.

USAO's offense was led by a pair of perfect performances from Sierra Selfridge and Shaylann Grace. Selfridge concluded 3-3 with a home run, two runs scored, and two runs batted in, while Grace went 2-2 with a homer, a double, one run scored, and two runs batted in. 

Jadyn Goucher continued to swing a hot bat, going 2-3 with a double and a pair of runs batted in. Kinzie Williams and Leighanne Eaton each went 2-3 with a pair of singles and a run scored. 

Taylor Cronic also stayed productive, going 1-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs. Maveryck Lightfoot finished 1-3 with a run scored.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers and Evangels will wrap up the four-game series with another double-header tomorrow (Saturday, March 29) in Oklahoma City. First pitch of the twin bill is scheduled for 1:00 PM CT at Allen Field, located on the campus of MACU. 

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