BETHANY, Okla.—An Anna Icenhower solo shot was the difference as another dominant pitching performance from Jennifer Romero-Ivarson propelled the Crimson Storm to a 1-0 shutout victory over their rivals, Oklahoma Baptist on Tuesday afternoon.
A cold afternoon of temperatures in low-40s made life difficult for both teams. The teams struggled to get comfortable in the batter's box, but the pitcher's were dealing all afternoon. It was Southern Nazarene's (6-15, 3-4 GAC) Jennifer Romero-Ivarson who outdueled Oklahoma Baptist's (12-8, 4-3 GAC) Kayleigh Jones, though, as SNU's lone run proved to be enough.
The strikeouts came early and often for both teams. Romero-Ivarson racked up seven strikeouts in the win. For the Southern Nazarene offense, they struck out 11 times, including their first five outs all coming via strikeout.
Southern Nazarene's lone run came in the top of the second inning off a blast from Anna Icenhower. She roped a line drive to left field that snuck over the fence and pushed SNU in front.
The Storm threatened again in the sixth inning after Emma Swearingen led the inning off with a double. After a pair of strikeouts, SNU moved two runners into scoring position following a walk and a passed ball, but a groundout ended the inning and kept it a one-run game.
Romero-Ivarson notched two quick outs to open the seventh, but a line drive into center field turned into a triple, bringing the Bison just 60 feet away from tying the game. The next batter also got a hold of a pitch and sent it to center field, this one would be no problem for Sydney Sundbye, though, as she camped under it, made the catch, and secured the 1-0 shutout victory for the Crimson Storm.
The complete game shutout was Romero-Ivarson's second in a row as she has now pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings. Her ERA has dipped all the way down to 3.94 for the season and she now has four wins for the season.
The Crimson Storm will look to keep the magic in the circle flowing next time out as the Storm prepare for a three-game series with Southwestern Oklahoma State. The series is currently scheduled for a single game on Friday before a Saturday double-header at noon. The Bulldogs have taken four straight over the Crimson Storm, but all three matchups last season were decided by either one or two runs. First pitch on Friday is set for 3:00 p.m.
