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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Morgan Heard
1
Winona State WSU 46-13
4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 41-18
Winona State WSU
46-13
1
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
41-18
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Winona State WSU 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 3 1 0 0 0 0 X 4 4 1

W: Brady,Nicole (18-10) L: Walker, Ashley (21-5)

Game Recap: Softball |

Heard's Homer Sparks Bronchos

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (May 8) – Morgan Heard smacked an early long ball, Nicole Brady went the distance in the pitching circle and Central Oklahoma knocked off No. 13-ranked Winona State 4-1 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional I Tournament here Friday afternoon.
 
Heard's three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning put the Bronchos in control quickly and Brady – with plenty of help from stellar infield defense – did the rest in beating the Warriors for the second time and notching her 16th complete game of the season.
 
UCO improved to 41-18 and moved into Saturday's 11 a.m. winner's bracket game against host and No. 9-rated Augustana, which beat East Central 4-2 in the other opening-round contest.  Two other games are on tap Saturday, with the finals set for Sunday.
 
"We're a team that likes to get out of the gate fast and we did that," head coach Cody White said.  "Morgan's such a good player as a freshman for us.  She hits for power and average and she came through for us.
 
"Our defense played really well.  Nicole does a great job of getting ground balls and the girls did a great job behind her."
 
Brady, who threw a two-hitter in a 2-0 win over Winona on March 20 in St. Joseph, Mo., scattered seven hits and walked two in a 107-pitch outing in improving to 18-10.
 
Heard at shortstop and third baseman Ashton Smith both made highlight-type catches on hard-hit line drives in the contest and Brady induced the Warriors into 12 groundball outs.
 
UCO did the bulk of its offensive damage in its initial at bat.
 
Smith started things with a one-out single up the middle and Brooke Zukerman drew a two-out walk to set the stage for Heard.  The rookie standout responded with her ninth homer of the season, ripping the first offering over the left field wall to make it 3-0.
 
The Bronchos scored their final run in the second after Emily Ditmore was hit by pitch for a single-season school record 21st time to lead off.  Ditmore went to second on Shelby Carel's sacrifice bunt, took third on Rachel Harper's single up the middle and scored on Kaylee Brunson's fielder's choice, with the fleet-footed Brunson barely beating the throw to first to avoid would have been an inning-ending double play.
 
UCO managed just one hit the rest of the way, but it didn't matter as the Warriors scored only on a lead-off solo homer in the sixth.
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