EDMOND (Feb. 11) – Jacee Minter tied a school record with three doubles while driving in four runs and Kylee Lynch pitched a two-hit shutout as No. 20-ranked Central Oklahoma blasted Midwestern State 9-0 Friday evening at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.
It was the home opener for the Bronchos, who improved to 4-2 in their first game of the three-day UCO Festival. Central returns Saturday to face Southern Nazarene at 5:15 p.m., then plays twice more on Sunday.
"We played pretty well overall and came out with a good win," head coach Cody White said. "I thought we did some good things offensively and our defense was pretty sharp, plus Kylee threw well."
Minter had doubles in all three of her at bats in tying a single-game record shared by several players. Brighton Gilbert also went 3-for-3 as the Bronchos finished with nine hits.
Lynch improved to 3-0, giving up just two hits in the five-inning contest. It was the second complete-game outing of the season for the sophomore left-hander.
UCO broke on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first on Minter's run-scoring double. Shayla Harper drew a lead-off walk, went to second on Gilbert's single through the left side before trotting home on Minter's line-drive to left-center field.
The Bronchos broke it open in the third with a four-hit, four-run volley.
Gilbert led off with a bunt single, Tarin Dubler followed with a single up the middle and Minter plated both with her second straight double to the left-center field gap.
Amelya Huggins made it 5-0 one out later with an improbable home run into a brisk north wind, mashing a high fly ball that easily cleared the fence in left-center field.
UCO continued the onslaught in the fourth with another four-run outburst that upped the lead to 9-0.
Harper got things going with a one-out walk, then went to third on Gilbert's base hit and scored on a throwing error when Gilbert stole second. Gilbert went home on Minter's third double, this one a bloop down the right field line, with Terin Ritz's RBI groundout and Shayleigh Odom's run-scoring single ending the scoring.
