BETHANY, Okla.—Southern Nazarene completed a series sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon as they took both games of the double-header, winning game one 9-3 before an 8-1 victory in game two.
Game 1:
The Crimson Storm found themselves with just one run through the first five innings of the game, but erupted for an eight-spot in the sixth inning as they batted around to the tune of nine hits.
The Rangers got on board first with a first inning RBI single. SNU came back to tie the game after Natalie Jones doubled to center field, scoring Sydney Everhart. Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, but Northwestern recaptured the lead in the sixth inning after Mackenzie Adams cleared the fence for a two-run home run to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
Adams would be outdone by the Crimson Storm offense in the bottom half of the inning. Following Hailie Fellers' one-out single, Hailey Evans blasted the first home run of her collegiate career to tie the game. After Evans' home run, Anna Icenhower came in to pinch hit, and just as she did in Friday's game, Icenhower blasted a pinch-hit solo-home run that put SNU in front for the first time in the game.
The scoring was not done there, though, as Southern Nazarene collected six more hits in the inning, leading to five more runs and a commanding 9-3 lead that they carried through the seventh and final inning.
Chelsea Vandiver pitched five strong innings, giving up just three runs, but came away with a no-decision. Hannah Sattler came out of the pen to work the final two innings and earn the win. She gave up just 1 hit and held the Rangers scoreless over her two innings of work.
Liana Heshiki, Natalie Jones, Emma Swearingen, Hailey Evans, and Sydney Everhart all collected two hits in the game. Each of Swearingen's hits went for extra bases as she notched a double and a triple. Jones collected her team-leading 13th double. Evans added a home run.
Game 2:
There were no late-inning dramatics in game two as Southern Nazarene jumped out to a 6-0 lead through five innings. They cruised through the final couple of innings for an 8-1 win.
Jennifer Romero-Ivarson was dominant in the circle. She held Northwestern hitless through 5.2 innings, but a two-out single broke up the no-hit bid. Romero-Ivarson was relieved in the seventh, but earned her ninth win of the season after allowing just one run and striking out five batters.
SNU took the lead in the third inning on a Liana Heshiki RBI fielder's choice. They added a second run the following inning on Anna Icenhower's RBI single.
They plated four runs on two hits and a pair of walks. The big blow once again came off the bat of Hailey Evans as she blasted her second two-run shot of the day that opened the game up 6-0.
Liana Heshiki and Cailtyn Curlee (Bates) notched RBI singles in the sixth inning to push their run total to 8. Northwestern scored once in the sixth but that was all they could muster in the game.
Cailtyn Curlee (Bates), Anna Icenhower, and Hailey Evans led the way with two hits a piece. Curlee and Icenhower each collectd a double, while Evans blasted a round-tripper.
With the wins on Saturday, SNU completed a sweep of Northwestern, their second GAC sweep of the season. The sweep moves the Crimson Storm into fourth place in the conference, two games ahead of Southeastern Oklahoma State and two games behind Arkansas Tech. The Storm will try to keep the momentum going on Tuesday as they travel to Shawnee to take on rival Oklahoma Baptist in a double-header. SNU defeated the Bison 1-0 in a quick game in Bethany back on March 8. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 5:00 p.m.
