Photo by: Will Gentry
After canceling or rescheduling their first five games due to inclement weather, the Lady Eagles softball team found a successful season opener in Texas with a freshman’s game-deciding grand slam against Abilene Christian University.
“For playing our first games of the season, I feel our team performed extremely well,” senior outfielder Lauren Chatigny said. “It’s always exciting to see how our team is going to come together and play that very first game. I was impressed with how well our team hit in the first game.”
Oklahoma Christian University traveled to Wichita Falls, Texas last Thursday for a doubleheader against the Midwestern State Mustangs. The Eagles split the series against the Mustangs, starting strong with a 10-8 victory, and then falling 11-4.
“They’ve got some big, strong hitters,” Head Coach of Softball Tom Heath said before the games. “We’re looking forward to competing against them. We’ve got an excellent pitching staff this year. I’m anxious to see how our pitching will do in this first game.”
Freshman Shea Coats struck out two batters in six and a third innings to be relieved by junior Taylor Mosher in the seventh inning.
Their performance behind the plate proved just as important as their execution on the mound.
“I feel like our team really stepped up at the plate this past weekend,” Chatigny said. “Our bats really came through for us when we needed them to.”
In the opener junior Courtney Starr hit a 3-run homer in the sixth inning to give Oklahoma Christian a 7-4 edge over Midwestern State. A few pitches later junior Monique Elliott brought in a run off a single, putting the Lady Eagles up 8-4.
Two additional runs in the seventh inning saved the Lady Eagles from a potential Mustang comeback. In the bottom of the seventh Midwestern State’s Shelby Carter launched a 3-run homer and Baylee Voigt added one of her own, pulling the Mustangs within two of the Lady Eagles at 10-8.
Coats said that solid hitting and an impenetrable defense sealed the game for the Lady Eagles in game one.
“I absolutely could not have been more proud of my team in their performance and effort,” Coats said. “They provided a ton of run support and the defense was incredible.”
When Mosher replaced Coats in the bottom of the seventh she retired two of the next three batters, giving Oklahoma Christian its first win and Mosher her first save of the season.
Midwestern State struck back quickly in the beginning of the second game, putting three runs on the board in the first inning. Despite Oklahoma Christian’s best efforts to answer, the Mustang’s bats proved more effective and the Lady Eagles fell 11-4 in the second game at Mustang Park.
The Lady Eagles traveled to Abilene, Texas on Friday for a two-day, three-game series against the ACU Wildcats.
With the season still in its opening weekend, some players admitted to experiencing pre-game “jitters.”
“It’s always exciting to finally get to start playing other opponents after only practicing against your own teammates for so many months,” Chatigny said. “It’s a little nerve-racking as well. There are always a few jitters at first, but once you finally get into the game it’s a great feeling being able to compete again.”
The Lady Eagles arrived in Abilene on Friday ready to compete. In her first game against an NCAA Division I opponent, Coats allowed only six hits in the entire game. Senior Kala Ratliff was a driving force for the Oklahoma Christian offense, going 3-for-3 from the plate, stealing a base and adding three RBIs to the scoreboard. The Lady Eagles trumped the Wildcats 7-1.
Oklahoma Christian split Saturday’s games with the Wildcats, falling 8-0 in the first game after failing to produce offensively in the first five innings.
As for the finale of the three-game series, however, a combination of precision pitching by Mosher through seven innings, defense and a grand slam by freshman Niki Davidson overwhelmed the Wildcats, who scored their only run in the seventh inning.
“Our defense got increasingly stronger as we played each game,” Chatigny said. “Our team made some outstanding plays to get us out of a few jams, but we also made the fundamental plays, which can sometimes make or break you in a game.”
With 18 players, this year’s team is the largest softball team in Oklahoma Christian’s history since Heath began the program in 1995.
“We’ve got six freshmen, six seniors, five juniors and one sophomore,” Heath said. “The chemistry on this team right now is as good as it gets. We’re very pleased with how the freshmen have come in and how the seniors and juniors have worked them into a team setting.”
Chatigny is one of the seniors Heath credits with working the new arrivals into the team. According to her, each player brings something special to the table.
“We have six freshmen this year and each and every one of them is capable of competing at the college level,” Chatigny said. “As our coaches have said, we don’t have a weak spot in our lineup. I am glad I’m not the one [who] has to decide who plays each game.”
The Lady Eagles lost their first two home games on Tuesday at the new Tom Heath Field in a doubleheader against West Texas A&M.
Oklahoma Christian fell 5-0 to the Lady Buffs in game one and allowed 10 runs in game two while failing to step any cleats over home plate
Although Tuesday’s games were the first played on Tom Heath Field, the softball program will host an “official” opening ceremony on Saturday, March 8.
“March 8 is going to be our ceremonial grand opening,” Heath said. “It will start at 1 p.m. We’re giving away T-shirts and we’re going to have a cookout. It’s just going to be a real nice occasion. That is one game I hope our students will put on their calendar. It is going to be a really fun event.”
The Lady Eagles play both Eastern New Mexico at noon and Midwestern State at 4 p.m. in San Antonio on Friday, Feb. 21.
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