(April 30, 2024) Mena, Arkansas - Coming off an pair of losses on Saturday, the ladies were in a situation to control their own destiny for the remainder of the season. The Bucks needed to win three of their last four games to solidify the #2 seed in next week's Region II Tournament in Ardmore, OK. First for the ladies was Western Oklahoma State Tuesday afternoon at Cummings-Cecil Field. Earlier this season in Altus, the Bucks dropped both games to the Pioneers.
Game One
The ladies found themselves in a low scoring affair, very similar to the previous two games with Western Oklahoma. The Bucks took an early 2-0 lead after three innings. The Bucks runs came on a first and third situation in the bottom of the second. Lilli Williams (Granbury, TX) took home after a runner was caught stealing second base. In the next inning, Olivia Tefft (Frisco, TX) picked up a RBI on the single to left field.
With the 2-0 lead, Western scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fifth inning off starting pitcher McKenna Bittle (Greer's Ferry, AR). Bittle would take things into her own hands in the sixth inning. The sophomore belted a 2-run blast over the left field wall and bullpen to make the final score of 4-1.
Bittle (16-6) picked up the win and became the season record holder for wins in a season at UA Rich Mountain. She would pitch a complete game (7.0 innings), giving up a run on 6 hits. Bittle struck out 3 in the outing.
Game Two
The second game of the day was a pitcher's dual for 5.0 innings. Western Oklahoma broke up Olivia Nickson's (Bentonville, AR) no hitter in the top of the fifth inning, before taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth. The ladies would need to answer in the bottom of the sixth to give themselves a shot in the game.
After a 1 out walk and single, Kyson Vap (Newkirk, OK) came to the plate looking to avenge a line out in her last at-bat. This time she would clear the bases with a 2-RBI triple down the right field line to get the Bucks a spark. Next at-bat, Laney Linseisen (Longview, TX) would plate Vap on a ground out to the right side. The ladies weren't done yet. After a WOSC error, Emma Reynolds (Cayuga, TX) recorded her only hit of the day. With a runner on first, she took the 1-2 count to right field to record her tenth triple of the season, but more importantly, she plated the winning run.
Reagan Tucker (Waxahachie, TX) recorded the final out in the top of the sixth inning with the bases loaded, so she would be the winning pitcher in the game at the time the ladies took the lead. Tucker (1-0) faced a lone hitter and got a ground out. Olivia Nickson came back out and pitched the final inning to get the save. Nickson pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8 on the day.
The wins give the Bucks their 30th win of the season, but now the ladies just need a win to solidify the #2 seed in the Region II Tournament next week in Ardmore, OK. The ladies travel to North Arkansas on Saturday for their last doubleheader of the season.
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