Ratliff leads Lady Eagles to seven-game victory streak

Photo by: Will Gentry

 

The Lady Eagles faced a long stretch of doubleheaders throughout March, sweeping all but two of the series they played.

The second game on March 6 was their first loss of only four over a four- week span.

“Our pitcher did a pretty good job, but that second game just comes down to who went last,” Head Coach of Softball Tom Heath said. “We did a really good job; we hit the ball, we came back, we were down, we kept fighting and I liked the way we competed.”

While the Lady Eagles struggled to maintain their close score, the second game proved too much for the women, and Emporia State took the victory by one run. However, the whole team did well overall, according to Heath.

“There are some things that we can work on a little bit,” Heath said. “We [are] still early in the season right now, but overall I was pleased with them. I mean, they fought hard and never gave up, so I was pleased with their performance.”

Senior Kala Ratliff finished 6-for-7 with two walks, scoring four runs when she batted in the spot.

“I was hitting a lot better than I have been, and the whole team, we all hit really well,” Ratliff said. “Usually our hits do not really come together; like a couple of us are hitting, and others are not. But today all of us were hitting, and it was a really good performance by all of us. [However,] I was disappointed because we did not win the second game, and we fought so hard. But I was satisfied overall because we did really well.”

Along with Ratliff’s offensive streak, senior Lauren Chatigny went 6-for-8. Overall, the remainder of the Lady Eagles had 15 hits during the two games.

“[Players] got to at least score some runs, but the main challenge is making adjustments in the game, at the plate, for example,” Heath said. “You have got to understand what the pitcher is trying to do, and if you are not successful then you have got to make adjustments. It’s a challenge, but we did well.”

Freshman Shea Coats started the first game on Thursday, March 6, striking out six batters in five innings. Junior Krystal Rodriquez relieved Coats and recorded her first save of the season in the opener of the series, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings and striking out three batters.

In the first game Oklahoma Christian University fell behind the Lady Hornets 2-0, but a two-run single by Ratliff along with RBI hits from Chatigny and freshman Abby Taliaferro helped send the Lady Eagles into a 6-4 lead by the sixth inning.

“I think we hit so well,” Ratliff said after the game on March 6. “We just need to carry that over to [Friday’s] games, and if we hit like we did today, we will get two wins [on Friday].”

In Oklahoma Christian’s second game against Emporia State, the Lady Hornets went ahead 4-1 in the top of the third, but the Lady Eagles answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Over the fourth and fifth innings, Emporia State put a total of seven points on the board, making the score 11-5. The Lady Eagles’ offense once again returned with the help of a two-run single by Ratliff and a two-run double by Chatigny, and closed the gap to 11-10 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“I think at the bottom of the sixth I hit a two-run home run,” Ratliff said. “It was close to the end of the game, and we were losing by one run, and I hit a home run towards the end of the game to give us a lead, so we were ahead by one.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Oklahoma Christian went ahead 12-11, but couldn’t hold the lead. After taking a 13-12 lead, the Lady Hornets’ defense retired the Lady Eagles in order, sealing the win for Emporia State.

On Friday, March 7, the Lady Eagles achieved a complete victory of 10-2 and 11-3 in a doubleheader against Southwestern Oklahoma State at Tom Heath Field.

After securing the first game from Southwestern, senior Martha Thomas started the second game out with a two-run homer in the first inning.

“I was not nervous at all before the game because we played SWOSU last year and beat them, so I knew we could do it again,” Thomas said. “My performance [on] Friday was better than it has been. It felt great to finally hit my first home run of the season. I could improve by being more consistent with my hits.”

Thomas emphasized the importance of offensive consistency throughout the game.

“The game was not a challenge, but sometimes when we score early in the game we relax and don’t score many runs after,” Thomas said. “So we did a great job of attacking, hitting and scoring every inning.”

Ratliff repeated her success at the plate on Friday, going 4-for-4 during the first game. Over a series of four games, Ratliff went 12-for-14 with two walks, eight RBIs, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases, two doubles and a home run.

The Lady Eagles, after sweeping Northwestern Oklahoma State University and losing three consecutive games to Lubbock Christian University, are currently on a seven-game win streak, the longest since winning 13 consecutive games during their 2011 season. Oklahoma Christian plays Rogers State University Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at a.m.