Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
Box Score (Game 3)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Friday started about surviving and advancing, but turned out to be so much more for No. 15 Southern Nazarene as SNU won its first two game of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament before going extra innings in the winners' bracket final.
Before the final pitch was thrown, the Crimson Storm (40-16) proved that it belonged to be mentioned with the conference's elite. SNU mowed down Science & Arts 9-1 in six innings in the opener before upsetting No. 5 Lubbock Christian 10-3. The Storm then held No. 3 Oklahoma City scoreless for seven straight innings before the Stars scored two in the eighth to hold off SNU for the 2-0 win.
It was the first time in school history that SNU had knocked off Lubbock Christian and advanced to the winners' bracket game of the SAC Tournament.
With the win over the Lady Chaps, SNU now has five wins over teams currently ranked in the top 15.
SNU started the day with a 9-1 run rule of USAO. The Storm had 13 hits as
Aubrey Jones led the way going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a home run.
Kylie Lang also went 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Amy Madden went 2-for-3 with two RBIs while
Kacey Acker went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Maci-Brooke Lambert moved to 13-6 on the year with the win as she allowed just one run on five hits in six innings of work.
In the second game, the Crimson Storm unloaded in the fifth inning and didn't let up from there. With one out SNU delivered six straight singles, and seven overall in the inning, to score five runs and take a 5-0 lead through two innings played. LCU got one back in the third to make it 5-1, but SNU added two more on back-to-back singles by
Jill Clemence and
Kylie Lang to make it 7-1. The Lady Chaps scored one in the fourth to cut it to 7-2, but a three-run blast to right by
Kacey Acker gave SNU a 10-2 lead and nearly pulled off the run-rule. LCU added one in the fifth to cut the deficit to 10-3.
Kaci Crawford (18-7) picked up the win after she gave up just three runs and scattered eight hits in six innings of work. LCU notched two singles to start the seventh before
Jeneva Nelson slammed the door shut as she threw the final inning and didn't allow a hit.
Acker finished that game going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Clemence was 2-for-4 with two RBIs while
Allison Fields went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
SNU then went from an offensive onslaught to a defensive battle with OCU. It was a pitchers' battle from start to finish as neither pitcher nor team budged much. Southern Nazarene left the bases loaded in the first and was just inches away from claiming the game in the bottom of the seventh. Clemence ripped a two-out triple to left center, which also set a school single-season record, and then raced towards home on a wild pitch. OCU's Lily LaVelle then blocked the plate as the throw came from Kylie Rounsaville and just caught Clemence in time for the final out of the inning.
The Stars then loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth before Rounsaville ripped a single through the left side that scored two. That was all LaVelle needed in the circle as she struck out 13 and gave up just four hits in eight innings of work. Nelson and the Storm defense couldn't have been much stronger as Nelson gave up just two runs on five hits in seven and two-thirds innings of work.
Southern Nazarene will now await the winner of Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Christian who play at 11 a.m. SNU will play the winner at 1 p.m.
