University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

Last Inning Heroics

3/20/2013 7:14:00 PM

Brooke Zukerman

Box Score
Photo Gallery

EDMOND (March 20) – Brooke Zukerman's two-out grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted No. 16-ranked Central Oklahoma to a dramatic 11-8 victory over No. 19 Midwestern State Wednesday afternoon, with an injury on the play forcing the cancellation of the second game of the scheduled non-conference doubleheader.

The Mustangs committed a pair of two-out errors to keep UCO's last at bat alive and Zukerman came through with her fourth homer of the season, a drive to straightaway center field that gave the Bronchos their eighth win in nine outings.

MSU's center fielder suffered a broken leg trying to catch the game-winning hit and coaches elected to not play the nightcap.

UCO improved to 18-5 with the win while dropping MSU to 20-7.

“Brooke came through with a clutch hit and gave us a great win, but nobody was happy after what happened to their center fielder,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “You never want to see a player get hurt like that and there was no way we were going to play the second game after that.”

The Mustangs scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-6 lead, with Ally Dziadula and Devyn Frazier leading off UCO's final at bat with back-to-back singles. The first of two errors pushed across one run and the second loaded the bases before Zukerman delivered the game-winner.

The Bronchos outhit MSU 13-12 in the slugfest, with Dziadula collecting three hits to lead the way. Kacie Edwards and Hayley Hudson had two hits apiece.

UCO jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, getting a two-run homer from Hudson and RBI single from Edwards in the first before Edwards added another run-scoring single in the third.

The Mustangs got on the board with three runs in the fifth and tied it 4-all in the sixth, but Nicole Workman and Hudson led off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back homers to put the Bronchos back on top.

MSU answered with its four-run seventh to set up the last at bat heroics.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories