Splitsville

3/19/2010 6:45:42 PM

Brittany Geter

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

EDMOND (March 19) – Kelsey Tiger went 4-for-4 to spearhead a 14-hit attack that carried Central Oklahoma to a 7-4 second-game victory and a doubleheader split with Tarleton State here Friday afternoon at blustery Broncho Field.

The Bronchos forced extra innings with a two-out, six-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning in the opener only to fall 7-6 in eight innings, with UCO using another six-run outburst in the nightcap to overcome an early 1-0 deficit en route to that win.

“We got off to a slow start, but we really swung the bats well today,” UCO coach Genny Stidham said. “We showed a lot of fight in coming back like we did in the first game when we were down to our last out and that carried over to the second game.”

The Bronchos trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the third inning in the nightcap before erupting for six runs on seven hits.

Megan Bentley started the onslaught with a lead-off single and Molly Shivers followed with a bunt single before Bentley came home with the tying run on Rachel Lowery's single to left field.

Kayce Raines had the fourth straight hit of the inning with an RBI single up the middle to put UCO on top to stay and the Bronchos got a two-run double from Brittany Geter and RBI doubles from Tiger and Brittany Weaver in pushing the lead to 6-1.

Tarleton got a run back in the fourth to make it 6-2 and left the bases loaded in the fifth when Bentley tracked down a long fly ball at the fence in left field. UCO missed a chance to pad the lead when it left the bases full in the bottom of fifth, but Tiger ripped a run-scoring double in the sixth to make it 7-2.

The TexAnns got two runs in the top of the seventh before Shivers closed out the game to wrap up the complete-game pitching win.

Tiger's four-hit performance led UCO's offensive outburst, with Shivers, Lowery and Geter all adding two hits apiece. Third baseman Pebbles Paxson had two key defensive plays early, starting double plays in both the first and second innings to get the Bronchos out of two-on, one-out jams.

TSU used two big errors and four hits to take control of the first game with a six-run third. It stayed that way until the seventh when the Bronchos tied it with a last-ditch rally.

UCO scored all six of its runs with two outs in its final at bat, with the big hit a grand slam by Geter to tie it. Tiger and Lowery had RBI singles to set up Geter's blast to straightaway center field that forced extra innings.

The TexAnns came back with a lead-off homer in the top of the eighth and UCO couldn't answer back in the bottom of that inning.

Shivers and Lowery had two hits each to lead the Bronchos, with Lowery also coming in to pitch four innings of no-hit relief after UCO had fallen behind 6-0.

The Bronchos, now 15-9 on the year, don't play again until going to Durant, Okla. Next weekend for the Lone Star Conference Crossover Tournament.

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