EDMOND (Feb. 7) – Amelya Huggins broke out of an early-season slump and Kylee Lynch pitched four shutout innings to propel Central Oklahoma past Southwestern Oklahoma 3-2 Friday afternoon on the first day of the UCO Softball Invitational.
Huggins had two of Central's three hits and drove in one run, while the freshman Lynch was superb in relief to pick up her first career win. The Bronchos, now 2-5, play Southeastern Oklahoma next before returning for two games both Saturday and Sunday.
SWOSU broke a scoreless tie in the third with a two-run home run and the Bronchos tied it an inning later.
Halley Randolph got a one-out rally started in the fourth with a walk, then made it all the way home when Hazel Puempel delivered a line-drive double to left-center field for UCO's first hit of the game.
Huggins – who entered the game just 1-for-14 on the season -- followed with another double, this one a smash down the left-field line, and Puempel trotted home with the tying run.
It stayed a 2-2 deadlock until the bottom of the sixth when Central pushed across what turned out to be the winning run.
Puempel walked with one out, Huggins came through with a double over the right fielder's head and the speedy Puempel scored on Allie Eicher's short fly out to left field.
That made it 3-2 and Lynch closed the game out to earn her first win. The rookie right-hander retired the first seven batters she faced and allowed three hits in four innings while striking out five.
