Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

BETHANY, Okla. — The tests have been early and often for Southern Nazarene and there was no doubt the Crimson Storm put No. 10 Oklahoma City on its heels in both games of a doubleheader Tuesday, but the Stars held on for a pair of one-run victories with a 10-9 win in the opener and a 5-4 victory in the nightcap.

The Crimson Storm (6-4, 0-2 SAC) held leads through the first four innings in both games, but couldn't hold off the Stars' (5-1, 2-0 SAC) bats down the stretch.

Amy Madden went 2-for-4 with our RBIs and two runs scored in the opener that lasted nearly three hours. Both hits were home runs as she hit her third and fourth home runs of the year.

Southern Nazarene jumped out early with two home runs in the first inning. Katie Hale blasted her first home run of the year to right to put SNU up 2-0 before Madden ripped her third of the year to left. OCU answered with two in the top of the second and one in the third to tie it at 3-3, but an Allison Field single to left scored Shanna Buckles and Kacey Acker to give SNU a 5-3 lead.

The one issue that has plagued SNU in the early season has been the big inning, and that came in the fifth when the Stars took a 7-5 lead with four runs and made it 8-5 with another run in the sixth. The Storm responded in the bottom of the sixth when Madden's second home run was a three-run shot to center field to knot the contest at 8-8.

OCU's Lily LaVelle made it 9-8 with a solo home run to left center before OCU added another run with a two-out single to go up 10-8 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

SNU cut it to one at 10-9 on a Daphne Stewart double to left, but LaVelle struck out the next two batters to end the game.

Tiffany Gossett (1-1) took the loss after she threw the final inning of relief allowing two runs on four hits. Jordan Simmons threw the first six innings allowing five earned runs on nine hits.

In the nightcap, SNU held a 3-0 lead after taking advantage of two OCU errors before it led 4-2 on a solo home run to left by Stewart. OCU though scored two though on a one-out, bases-loaded single to left tied it at 4-4 in the sixth. The Storm left runners at second and third in the bottom of the sixth before OCU got a two-out single to short with the bases loaded to score the winning run.

Stewart reached on an OCU error in the bottom of the seventh to lead off the inning, but LaVelle slammed the door, retiring the final three hitters.

Kaci Crawford went the distance for SNU giving up five runs on 11 hits and she also struck out seven.

The Crimson now travel south to Texas to take on Northwood, Friday, and Briar Cliff (Iowa), Saturday.