Oklahoma City, Okla. – The Tigers traveled down to Oklahoma City to face the #2 nationally ranked Oklahoma City University Stars over the weekend. Coming into the series, the Tigers looked to bounce back as they are on a 12-game conference losing streak.
Looking to turn the tide, Clarissa Rejino got the ball for the Tigers in the first game. The Stars wasted no time in establishing their offense as they tagged Rejino for five runs in the first inning. The Tigers would respond in the second inning with a 2-rbi double from Hallie Thomas and she would eventually score in the inning as the Tigers cut into the Stars’ lead.
Down 7-3 in the 3rd, the Tigers looked for a scoreless bottom half but the Stars would squeak a run across to extend their lead to 8-3. The Tigers were unable to push across a run in the 4th and allowed four more runs to come across, so the run-rule would come into effect as the Stars would take game one, 12-3 in 5 innings.
The Stars offense continued to fire on all cylinders as they scored 5 runs in the first three innings of game two. The Tigers would not push a run across until the 5th inning on an RBI-groundout to cut into the 5-0 lead. The Stars would hit a 3-run homerun and an RBI-triple to walk off the second game by a score of 9-1 in 5 innings.
On Saturday, the Tigers hoped for a different story. Ciara Valadez opened the scoring with an RBI-double in the first inning. The Stars would equalize the score in the bottom of the 1st with a solo homerun. The damage came in the bottom of the fourth as the Stars scored 5 runs on four hits featuring two homeruns. The Tigers would get a couple of runs back in the 5th after a double and a single drove in two to cut the lead to 7-4. The Stars would go on to score 6 runs in the 5th and 6th innings to invoke the run-rule to win the game 13-4 and take the series from the Tigers.
Game four saw the Tigers have their worst offensive showing of the series, mustering just three hits in 5 innings. The Stars would score 12 runs in the first three innings to put the game out of reach early. The Stars would go on to win the game 12-0 and sweep the series.
The Tigers (11-23, 4-20 SAC), come back home to face Southwestern Christian on Friday and Saturday. The games will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network and SAC Sports Network.
