Abilene Christian Box Score
West Texas A&M Box Score
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (March 29) – A pair of early deficits proved too much for Central Oklahoma here Sunday as the Bronchos dropped a pair of rescheduled games to ranked Lone Star Conference South Division rivals.
UCO rallied from a 6-2 deficit to force extra innings with No. 25 West Texas A&M in the first game before losing 8-7 and then fell behind No. 16 Abilene Christian 3-1 after two innings en route to a 4-2 loss.
The Bronchos scheduled the neutral-site games after the Lone Star Conference Crossover Tournament scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Durant was cancelled by the weather. UCO fell to 18-10 with the losses in having a seven-game winning streak ended.
“We didn't come out ready to play today and that cost us,” UCO coach Genny Stidham said. “We were battling from behind in both games and just couldn't get the job done.”
The Bronchos trailed WTAMU 7-2 going into the bottom of the third in the opener, getting a run back in that frame when Alley Roberts led off with a double and scored on Jennifer Edwards' two-out single.
UCO got close in the fifth when Roberts singled, Lindsey McLaughlin reached on an error and Niki Hunt followed with a home run to left field that cut the lead to 7-6. Hunt came through again in the seventh as she singled, went to second on Edwards' single, took third on Molly Shivers' sacrifice and scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
The Lady Buffs went ahead 8-7 in the top of the eight and held on when UCO couldn't push across a run after getting a runner on third with one out.
Roberts went 3-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Bronchos, while Hunt and Edwards had two hits apiece.
UCO went ahead 1-0 in the second inning of the second game on Shivers' solo homer to left field, but the Wildcats came back with three runs on five hits in their half of that inning. ACU made it 4-1 in the fifth and the Bronchos could manage only Hunt's sacrifice fly in the seventh in falling short.
McLaughlin had two of UCO's five hits.
The Bronchos are off this week, not returning to action until resuming their LSC North Division schedule on April 7 at East Central.
