OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University decked top-seeded Lubbock Christian (Texas) 6-3 and 12-11 on Saturday at Hall of Fame Stadium to win the Sooner Athletic Conference softball tournament championship.
The Stars (40-11) knocked off Northwestern Oklahoma State 5-2 earlier Saturday to advance to the tournament title contest. OCU, ranked ninth in the NAIA, captured its third consecutive SAC Tournament crown.
OCU picked up the conference's automatic berth into the NAIA Championships on May 20-26 in Decatur, Ala. Third-ranked regular-season SAC champ Lubbock Christian (52-6) will look to get into the national tournament via an at-large berth. The NAIA will announce the national-tournament field Monday.
Lubbock Christian beat OCU for the fourth time in five tries this year Friday.
“They made their coach very proud,” OCU coach Phil McSpadden said of the Stars' effort Saturday. “They proved me wrong. I didn't think they had that kind of resolve.”
To win the SAC title, OCU battled back from 5-1, 9-5 and 11-8 deficits. The Stars tied the game in the fourth as LeeAnn Lopez hammered a two-run home run over the fence in dead center field. Lily LaVelle made it 5-5 by bouncing a two-run single up the middle of the infield.
Lubbock Christian answered with a four-run inning of its own. Latainna Eltsosie and Clarissa Maldonado each had sacrifice flies. Cori Enriquez drove in a run on a base hit up the middle, then Amanda Parsons reached home on a wild pitch.
In the fifth, Jen Davis pounded a three-run homer to center to cut Lubbock Christian's lead to 9-8.
Kim Frazier added to her NAIA single-season record home run total by leading off the bottom of the fifth with her 35th homer, a solo shot to left. Parsons chipped in an RBI base hit for an 11-8 Lady Chaps advantage.
LaVelle nailed a 3-1 offering over the right-field fence for a solo blast and an 11-9 Lubbock Christian edge in the sixth.
Then the Stars rallied with three runs in the top of the seventh. Ashley Wilburn led off with a base hit, then after Alicia Clifton and Lopez each flew out to deep left, Davis walked and Kelby Roberson singled to load the bases. Amanda Howard drove in the tying runs on a single up the middle.
Autumn Mayberry added the decisive run on a base hit to right. LaVelle made the OCU lead stand by retiring Lubbock Christian in order in the seventh.
“We decided we were going to get it,” Davis said. “We had a two-hour hitting session this morning, and that set the tone for today. We have a great pitching staff, and we have some young players who came through. This will set the perfect tone heading into nationals.”
LaVelle, a sophomore from Bridge Creek, Okla., went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, while Mayberry, a freshman from Mustang, Okla., was 3-for-5 with a run driven in. Howard and Lopez were each 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Roberson and Nathalie Timmermans each had two hits for the Stars.
LaVelle picked up the win by working the final three innings for OCU. Jori Rodgers suffered the loss.
Davis, a senior from Muscatine, Iowa, smacked three homers in the two-day tournament, including a solo blast in the first game against Lubbock Christian on Saturday night.
“I felt like Crystl Bustos hitting one out in this stadium,” Davis said of the Team USA slugger. “I got the right pitch, I got angry and it felt good.”
To force the winner-take-all game, OCU scored five unanswered runs after trailing 3-1. After Davis launched a solo blast, Mayberry tied the score on a base hit to center in the top of the fifth.
In the seventh, Timmermans doubled to the right-center gap to drive in the go-ahead run. Clifton hammered an RBI double near the left-field foul line, and Lopez drove in a run on a base hit to left.
Howard went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Davis, Lopez and Mayberry each went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Jenni Gaby earned the victory, going to 6-3 on the year. Gaby kept Lubbock Christian off balance in going the entire seven innings. Alyssa Gutierrez (36-3) took the loss.
Against Northwestern, OCU struck first as LaVelle crushed a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run home run in the first inning.
Northwestern tied the game in the fifth on Allison Widener's and Ashley Lovelady's RBI base hits.
In the seventh, Lopez led off with a single for the Stars. Davis swatted a double off the left-field fence to put runners on second and third base.
Northwestern intentionally walked Howard to load the bases for Mayberry. Mayberry socked the ball into deep left to clear the bases and provide OCU the winning runs.
LaVelle struck out six in seven innings in getting the victory.
In the early game Saturday, Northwestern ousted Southern Nazarene with four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
OCU-NWOSU Boxscore
Championship Game 1 Boxscore
Championship Game 2 Boxscore
Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament
At Oklahoma City
Hall of Fame Stadium
Friday's Results
Southern Nazarene 3, Rogers State 0
Northwestern Oklahoma State 10, St. Gregory's 5
Lubbock Christian 8, Southern Nazarene 0
Oklahoma City 4, Northwestern 2, 8 inn.
Northwestern 4, Rogers State 1, RSU eliminated
Southern Nazarene 8, St. Gregory's 1, SGU eliminated
Lubbock Christian 8, Oklahoma City 0
Saturday's Results
Northwestern 4, Southern Nazarene 3, SNU eliminated
Oklahoma City 5, Northwestern 2, NWOSU eliminated
Oklahoma City 6, Lubbock Christian 3
Oklahoma City 12, Lubbock Christian 11, championship
