BETHANY, Okla. - The Crimson Storm hosted the No. 18 Bronchos of Central Oklahoma for a central region showdown. Southern Nazarene made its statement handing UCO a 4-1 loss in game one before the Bronchos returned the favor defeating SNU 10-1.
Game 1
The Crimson Storm (24-19, 13-8 GAC) found themselves trailing early after Central Oklahoma (32-9, 9-3 MIAA) used a solo home run in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead. From there it was all Crimson Storm.
Southern Nazarene broke the game open in the bottom half of the third, capitalizing on a Bronchos error and timely hitting. After loading the bases, Eden Anderson came through with a clutch two-run double to right field, giving the Storm a 2-1 advantage. Moments later, Abby Wood added to the momentum with a two-run single through the left side, pushing the lead to 4-1.
That would be all the offense SNU needed thanks to a stellar outing in the circle from Ashley Larson. The right-hander went the distance, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out five.
The Storm managed five hits in the contest, with Anderson and Wood driving in all four runs. Adyson Gaddis and Britlyn Tripp each added hits, respectively.
Game 2
The Crimson Storm ran into an early surge from the Bronchos, who wasted no time taking control of game two of the doubleheader. Central Oklahoma plated three runs in the opening frame and followed with a five-run second inning, using a pair of home runs and multiple extra-base hits to build an 8-0 advantage.
SNU cycled through several arms in the circle in an effort to slow the momentum, but the Bronchos continued to apply pressure throughout the game, finishing with 13 hits and adding insurance runs in the third and fourth innings.
Despite the deficit, Southern Nazarene showed some fight in the third inning. Quinlyn Johnson sparked the offense with a single and a stolen base before Kelsi Hilton delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring home the Storm's lone run of the game and cut the lead to 8-1.
From there, Central Oklahoma's pitching settled in and limited SNU's opportunities. The Storm were held to just two hits on the afternoon, with Johnson and Hilton accounting for both.
Next Up
The Crimson Storm are set to host Arkansas Tech on Thursday, April 9 for a single game at 4 p.m. The two squads will then wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Friday, April 10, with game times still to be determined.
