By: Justin Wollard and Greg Gorham
Game one | Game two | Season stats
BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The SBU softball Bearcats split Monday's doubleheader, topping Ouachita Baptist 8-5 before falling 8-1. Junior pitcher Josie Rose earned her third win of the season, striking out five over seven innings. Rose held the Lady Tiger offense to just two runs through the first five innings, helping the Bearcats build up a 8-2 lead, before Ouachita would put up three more to make it a closer score. The bottom of the SBU lineup came through offensively, as the sixth through ninth hitters (Nina Amaro-Garcia, Latasha Baderdeen, McKenzie Mortimer and Stephanie Luciani) went a combined 9-for-11 at the plate.
A key two-out hit from Luciani gave the Bearcats an early lead, as a base hit through the middle scored Latasha Baderdeen and Mortimer, who both singled earlier in the inning. Latasha's sister, third baseman Krysta Baderdeen put another one up on the scoreboard with her solo home run in the third inning to give SBU a 3-0 lead. Amaro-Garcia hit her first home run of the year in the fifth, a three-run shot that scored Katrina Munoz and Krysta Baderdeen and put the 'Cats up 8-2.
The Lady Tigers had a chance to get back into the game in the sixth inning, when three straight singles to lead off the inning OBU a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs. Rose closed the door, however, striking out the next two batters, then after allowing a run, got out of the jam with limited damage thanks to a great line drive catch by Latasha Baderdeen to end the inning.
The Bearcats started off the second game of the double-header strong, as Munoz reached base in the first inning off of an OBU error, stole her sixth bag of the year, then scored off Sarah Brison's shot up the middle. That would be the most the 'Cats would produce at the plate, however as Ouachita pitcher Kristen Rigsbee struck out thirteen over seven innings.
The Bearcats (5-5) will travel to Ada, Oklahoma, this weekend to take on the East Central Lady Tigers. Friday's doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. with Saturday's action starting at 11 a.m.
