Houston, Texas - The University of the Ozarks softball team dropped a 9-1 decision to St. Thomas on Saturday in game one as the Celts used timely hitting and capitalized on defensive miscues to secure the win.
The Eagles struck first in the opening inning when Isabella Hulsey delivered an RBI single to left field, scoring Emma Reynolds for an early 1-0 lead.
St. Thomas answered in the second inning, tying the game on an RBI triple by Olivia Sanchez. The Celts then took control in the third, scoring three runs—two coming on Ozarks errors—to build a 4-1 advantage.
The visitors continued to add on, plating three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend their lead to 9-1.
Hulsey led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Reynolds added a hit and a run scored. The Eagles were limited to four hits in the contest.
Ozarks committed three errors defensively, which contributed to multiple unearned runs for the Celts.
Game Two
St. Thomas completed a strong performance on Saturday, rolling past the Eagles 11-2 behind a powerful offensive showing and a complete-game effort in the circle in game two.
St. Thomas wasted little time getting going, matching Ozarks' first-inning run before erupting for three runs in the second inning and never looking back. The Eagles managed just four hits and was hurt by three defensive errors in the loss.
The Eagles struck first in the opening inning when Isabella Hulsey drove in Emma Reynolds with a groundout. However, St. Thomas answered immediately, tying the game on an RBI sacrifice fly.
The momentum quickly shifted in the second inning. Kianah Johnson delivered a two-run triple to give St. Thomas the lead, and an error later in the inning allowed another run to score, extending the advantage to 4-1.
The fourth inning produced three more runs pushing the lead to 8-1.
The Eagles added its second run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Kendall Lynch, but St. Thomas answered again with runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.
Emma Reynolds scored both runs for Ozarks and added a hit and two stolen bases in the effort.
St. Thomas finished with 15 hits and scored in five of six innings, using consistent offensive pressure to secure the run-rule victory.
