Blossoms Split with Ouachita

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   ARKADELPHIA (March 1) - The University of Arkansas at Monticello's Cotton Blossoms (10-7, 1-1 GSC) opened Gulf South Conference play with a doubleheader split with Ouachita Baptist, taking the opening contest 15-8 before dropping a 5-2 decision in the finale.

   In the opening contest, the Blossoms got on the board as Becca Tipton (Fr., Dermott) belted her ninth home run of the year to give UAM an early 1-0 lead.

   The Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning, as Lauren Western tied the game for OBU with an RBI single, and Ashley Rader blasted a two-run homer to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead after the first inning. OBU pushed their lead to 4-1 after scoring a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning.

   Sarah Reed (Sr., McKinney, Texas) pulled the Blossoms to within 4-3 with a two-run blast in the top of the third, and UAM tied the game at 4-4 as Meredith Heckel (Jr., Hot Springs) hit a two-out RBI single in the top of the fourth inning. UAM took the lead in the top of the fifth as Joleah Oxner (Sr., Monticello) smacked a two-out, two-run double to give UAM a 6-4 lead.

   The Cotton Blossoms exploded in the sixth inning, as Tipton pushed the UAM lead to 8-4 with a two-run double, and then Kate Brady (Jr., Longview, Texas) swatted a three-run homer to push the Blossoms’ lead to 11-4.

   OBU responded with a single run in the bottom of the sixth, as Jeni Maxton hit a solo homer to pull the Tigers to within 11-5, but the Cotton Blossoms added four more in the top of the seventh as Heckel hit a two-run homer, and Jenny Dunn (Jr., Adelaide, Australia) hit a two-run double to give UAM a 15-5 lead.

   The Tigers were able to plate three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the deficit was too much to overcome and the Blossoms picked up the win.

   Alison North (Fr., Marion, La.) picked up the win despite allowing eight runs, seven earned, in seven innings while fanning three and giving up nine hits. Both Tipton and Heckel picked up four hits in the winning effort, while Dunn added three, and Reed, Brady and Oxner added two apiece.

   In the nightcap, UAM once again took an early lead as Tipton again opened scoring for the Cotton Blossoms with an RBI double to center, giving UAM a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning. UAM extended the lead to 2-0 after Terri Rodgers (Sr., Enterprise, Ala.) added an RBI single in the top of the second.

   However, the highlights would end there for the Cotton Blossoms, as OBU pulled to within 2-1 after a Rader RBI double, and Maxton hit her second homer of the day for OBU to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning.

   OBU added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win and the doubleheader split.

   Leah Vaughn (Jr., Crestview, Fla.) suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs on four hits, fanning one and walking one. K.K. Calloway (Jr., West Monroe, La.) tossed one inning of no-hit relief in the loss, allowing one unearned run.

   Gemma Gibson (Jr., Dodd City, Texas) was a perfect 3-for-3 in the loss. p.m.
 
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