Edmond, Okla. – The Missouri Southern softball program lost to hosts Central Oklahoma this afternoon 11-3 to conclude the season for the Lions in the MIAA Tournament.
Southern (26-25) and the nationally ranked 5th Bronchos (45-9) were both in the elimination bracket after shocking defeats the night before and were facing off for the second time in as many weeks.
UCO would score the first four runs of the game before an
Abby DeSanto single ripped up the middle scored
Ashlynn Williams to make it 4-1 after two innings. A scoreless third inning made way for Central Oklahoma to score four more runs before the Lions responded in the bottom half of the fifth.
Kristen Wade began the fifth inning off by getting hit by the first pitch before moving over to second on a ground out. A
Tori Frazier single to left field put the two seniors on the corners and kept the momentum rolling for
Adrianna Young who beat out a potential double play ground out to ensure Wade scored,
Yazmin Vargas would cap off the inning with her sixth triple of the season to score Young and make it 8-3.
In the top half of the sixth inning the Bronchos were threatening again but a line drive and fantastic reaction play by Wade at third base kept them scoreless in the inning. UCO would add three runs in the seventh for the final score 11-3.
For the Lions DeSanto, Young and Vargas collect an RBI each with DeSanto, Vargas,
Josie Tofpi,
Ashlynn Williams and
Tori Frazier collecting hits. Young, Williams and Wade were the ones to score runs.
Kara Amos recorded her 100
th strikeout of the season in the game to become the 13
th Lion in school history to achieve the feat and alongside
Bailey Lacy became the second pair to throw 100 or more strikeouts in the same season. Britany Hargis and Keri Harris were the first to do so in the 2001 season.
In their final games in the Green and Gold
Tori Frazier and
Kristen Wade contributed on key plays one final time in their careers. We will miss them and wish them the best in their future endeavors while also thanking them for their contributions on and off the field to Missouri Southern and being an example of what a Missouri Southern student-athlete should be like.
