ARKADELPHIA- Ouachita Baptist put together a pair of solid outings, sweeping Illinois-Springfield with an 8-0 victory in Game 1, followed by a 7-5 win at Sully Anderson Field in Arkadelphia on Tuesday.
Ouachita (23-6, 6-2) breezed through the first matchup, shutting down Illinois-Springfield (1-9) and allowing just two hits. In Game 2, the Lady Tigers had to hold on late as the Prairiestars put together four runs in the final two innings of play.
Ouachita started the first game with a five-run first inning, as five Lady Tigers put together five consecutive singles, highlighted by freshman Kayci Wilson’s two-run single. Junior Kristen Rigsbee started off the hit parade with a single down the left field line, followed by senior Haley Chambers’ RBI single up the middle. Wilson drove in both sophomore Jana Deen and junior Sarah Bell, while Chambers put Ouachita up 3-0 in scoring Rigsbee. Back-to-back RBI singles from sophomore Taylor Austin and freshman Bailey Sanders gave the Lady Tigers a 5-0 at the end of the first.
Ouachita would strike again in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs as freshman Megan Askew started the inning with a single to right field, scoring two batters later on an RBI single up the middle from Bell. A single from Rigsbee and RBI single from Chambers gave the Lady Tigers an 8-0 lead that would stand through five innings, resulting in a mercy rule.
Wilson (7-3) went the distance in allowing just two hits in five innings. The freshman struck out seven and walked just one on the mound. Tina Buck took the loss for Illinois Springfield, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in four innings.
Chambers and Wilson each drove in a pair of runs, while Rigsbee finished at 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
In Game 2, Ouachita Baptist struck first as Sarah Bell connected with her team-high seventh home run of the season. The blast gave the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead.
After Illinois-Springfield answered with a single run in the second, Taylor Austin hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Kristen Rigsbee to put the score at 1-1.
The next at-bat for Ouachita was fruitful, scoring three runs to take a 4-1 lead. A single from sophomore Alexis Johns, followed by a double from Megan Askew and single from Deen loaded the bases for an RBI groundout for Rigsbee. An RBI single from Haley Chambers finished the inning with a 5-1 Ouachita Baptist lead.
Illinois-Springfield duplicated the same production two innings later, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning to close the deficit to 5-4. Not to be outdone, the Lady Tigers plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, beginning the inning with a solo home run from Rigsbee (5). Chambers followed with a double, scoring a batter later when Austin hit an RBI single to third base to stretch the Ouachita lead to 7-4.
Illinois-Springfield threatened in the top of the seventh inning, scoring a run after an error by the Lady Tigers, but that would be all the Prairiestars could muster, ending the game at 7-5.
Junior Sara Hanson (4-1) earned the victory on the mound, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits. Hanson struck out eight and didn’t allow a walk in the outing. Freshman Kayci Wilson (2) earned the save in going 1 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits and a run.
Austin finished at 3-for-4 at the plate for Ouachita, as the No. 3-6 hitters combined for a 8-for-13 performance with two home runs 6 RBIs. The tandem of Bell, Rigsbee, Chambers and Austin again proved to be the main stream offensive threat for the Lady Tigers.
Ouachita Baptist travels to Conway for a non-conference series with the University of Central Arkansas beginning at 6 p.m.
