OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University split a pair of contests vs. NAIA softball ranked teams, beating 24th-ranked Columbia (Mo.) 5-0 before falling to fifth-ranked Central Baptist (Ark.) 6-1 in eight innings Friday at Ann Lacy Stadium in the Domino's Capital City Classic.
Magean De La Torre and Nathalie Timmermans cranked home runs against Columbia, while Central Baptist rallied for six runs in the seventh and eighth innings. The eighth-ranked Stars moved to 29-8.
Against Columbia, Timmermans followed Lily LaVelle's and Tori Joyner's base hits by crushing a drive over the right-field wall in the third inning. Timmermans, a junior from Oldenzaal, Netherlands, went 3-for-4, scored twice, drove in three runs and nailed her 10th homer of the year.
De La Torre, a sophomore from Plano, Texas, led off the fourth by belting her third homer this year past the flagpoles in center. Brittany Caruthers added an RBI base hit to left in the fifth.
Caruthers, a sophomore from Waxahachie, Texas, went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Joyner, a sophomore from Mustang, Okla., was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Katie Proffitt, a junior from Tulsa, Okla., had a base hit and walked twice.
LaVelle, a junior from Bridge Creek, Okla., improved to 18-4. She fanned 11 and allowed three hits in seven innings. Columbia had two base hits in the sixth, but LaVelle struck out Marli Hayes to end the threat.
Against Central Baptist, LaVelle brought in the Stars' only run on a base hit to left to score Proffitt from second base. Proffitt grounded into a fielder's choice, then made it to second on an error.
Carly McLennan tied the game with an RBI single to left in the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, OCU put the winning run on second base after LaVelle and Joyner each singled. Emily Guess finished the inning with a strikeout. Kayla Lucas socked a grand slam in the eighth to provide the winning runs.
LaVelle struck out 15 Central Baptist batters to finish with 26 strikeouts in 15 innings on the day.
The Capital City Classic continues Saturday as the Stars face Columbia at noon and Northwestern Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. at Ann Lacy Stadium.
OCU-Columbia Boxscore
OCU-Central Baptist Boxscore
