Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Nicole Brady
7
Winner Emporia State ESU 35-18
4
Central Oklahoma UCO 39-17
Winner
Emporia State ESU
35-18
7
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
39-17
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Emporia State ESU 0 1 0 4 0 2 0 7 13 1
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 4 7 2

W: Caston,Kaitlyn (17-7) L: Brady, Nicole (16-10)

6
Washburn WU 27-24
11
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 40-17
Washburn WU
27-24
6
Final
11
Central Oklahoma UCO
40-17
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Washburn WU 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 6 4
Central Oklahoma UCO 2 3 1 1 4 0 X 11 10 1

W: Brady, Nicole (17-10) L: Thimmesch,Lauren (20-9)

Game Recap: Softball |

Brady Shines As UCO Stays Alive

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (April 30) – Nicole Brady dominated during a lengthy relief stint and Central Oklahoma rallied for a 11-6 victory over fast-starting Washburn to stay alive in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Post-season Tournament here Thursday.
 
The third-seeded Bronchos dropped a 7-4 first-round decision to No. 6-seed Emporia State and fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning against the seventh-seeded Ichabods before rattling off 11 unanswered runs in staving off elimination.
 
UCO reached the 40-win plateau (40-17) for the fourth consecutive season and will face Northwest Missouri in another loser's bracket game at 11 a.m. Friday.  The Bronchos will need to win five games – three Friday and two Saturday – to come back and claim the tournament championship.
 
"We didn't play very well in the first game and got off to an awful start against Washburn, but give our kids credit for hanging in there," head coach Cody White said.  "We had our backs to the wall, then made some things happen to get back in the game and Nicole did a great job for us.  We've got a long ways to go, but at least we're still alive."
 
Brady was the key to UCO's survival after coming in with one out in the top of the first after the Ichabods had already cranked out three home runs in taking a 4-0 lead.  The junior right-hander limited WU to three hits and two unearned runs the rest of the way as the Bronchos roared back to take the win.
 
UCO took advantage of two errors to score twice in its first at bat and then surged in front to stay with a three-run second inning.
 
Shelby Carel started the inning with a one-out double, Rachel Harper reached on an error and Kaylee Brunson walked to load the bases before Ally Dziadula drove in two runs with a single through the right side.  Yet another WU miscue allowed Brunson to score to make it 5-4 and the Bronchos pulled away from there.
 
Ashleigh Tramel started UCO's third inning with a first-pitch solo home run to left field – her league-leading 16th of the season – and the left-handed hitting Dziadula drilled an opposite-field solo shot in the fourth to up the lead to 7-4.
 
The Bronchos broke the game open in the fifth after the speedy Brunson started a two-out rally with an infield single.  Brunson stole second and scored on Ashton Smith's bloop single, with Dziadula drawing a walk before Brooke Zukerman smashed a no-doubt three-run homer to left to make it 11-4.
 
Washburn scored two unearned runs with two outs in the top of the sixth to make it 11-6, but Brady had no trouble finishing that inning and then put the Ichabods down in order in the seventh to earn her 17th win (17-10) of the season.
 
Tramel went 3-for-4 to lead UCO's 10-hit attack, while Dziadula had two hits and three runs batted in and Zukerman four RBI.
 
The Bronchos led Emporia 2-1 after three innings in the first round game, but the Hornets scored four runs with the help of two errors in the fourth and then hit a pair of solo homers in the sixth in going up 7-3.
 
UCO tried to rally in its final at bat as Brunson, Smith and Dziadula led off with consecutive infield hits to load the bases with no outs, but the Bronchos could manage only one run on Tramel's bases-loaded walk.
 
Smith had three of UCO's seven hits.
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors