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Bailey McKittrick
Bailey McKittrick
6
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 43-8, 22-3 MIAA
1
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 26-22, 14-11 MIAA
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
43-8, 22-3 MIAA
6
Final
1
Mo. Southern St. MSSU
26-22, 14-11 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 6 11 0
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 0

W: Lynch, Kylee (23-1) L: Avery Tallman (2-3)

4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 44-8, 23-3 MIAA
0
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 26-23, 14-12 MIAA
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
44-8, 23-3 MIAA
4
Final
0
Mo. Southern St. MSSU
26-23, 14-12 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 9 0
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1

W: McKittrick, Bailey (5-1) L: Bailey Lacy (13-10)

Game Recap: Softball |

McKittrick Shutout Caps UCO Sweep of Lions

JOPLIN, Mo. (May 1) – It had been 1,087 days since Central Oklahoma pitcher Bailey McKittrick last threw a complete game, but the senior ended that streak in emphatic fashion Sunday afternoon.

McKittrick – whose last complete game came in a 3-2 win over Arkansas Tech on May 10, 2019 --threw a three-hit gem in a 4-0 second-game shutout that gave the No. 4-ranked Bronchos a doubleheader sweep of Missouri Southern in the regular season finale.

UCO took the opener 6-1 behind an 11-hit attack before riding McKittrick's overwhelming outing in the nightcap. UCO improved to 44-8 and finished second in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association standings with a 23-3 mark, one game behind Washburn.

"I can't say enough about Bailey's performance today," head coach Cody White said. "She's been through a lot to get back on the field to help us and it was unbelievable how well she pitched. Missouri Southern has a tough team, but we played well and came out with two good wins."

McKittrick was named NFCA Division II Freshman of the Year in 2019 after going 26-5 with 17 complete games. Plagued by back problems, she had appeared in only 37 games with 10 starts and no complete games the past three years before taking the circle Sunday.

And then she dominated.

The right-hander didn't allow a hit in the first three innings before giving up three singles in the fourth, though the Lions didn't score. McKittrick then retired the final nine batters she faced to finish off the complete-game masterpiece.

McKittrick needed just 62 pitches in the game, inducing the Lions into 12 fly outs and seven groundouts while striking out two. She didn't walk a batter in moving to 5-1 on the season.

"Bailey was in command today," White said. "I wasn't planning on her pitching the whole game, but she just kept getting easy outs and she was feeling good so we went with it."

The Bronchos scored the only run they would need in the top of the first when Shayla Harper led off with a double, went to third on Brighton Gilbert's sacrifice and trotted home on Jacee Minter's two-out single through the right side.

UCO made it 2-0 in the second on Mikayla Rutland's RBI single to right field and it stayed that way until the sixth. Korbyn Skipworth started the frame with a double to right-center field and eventually scored on Lexy Dobson's sacrifice fly.

The Bronchos pushed it to 4-0 in the seventh as Harper again led off with a double and ended up scoring on an error.

Minter went 3-for-4 to lead a nine-hit attack, while Harper had two doubles.

Harper's long three-run home run in the second inning put UCO on top early in the first game and the Bronchos made it 5-0 in the second as Amelya Huggins and Skipworth had RBI singles.

Missouri Southern scored its lone run of the day in the bottom of the third and UCO matched that in the fifth on Terin Ritz's run-scoring double.

Tarin Dubler went 3-for-4 to pace an 11-hit assault. Harper, Huggins and Skipworth added two hits each.

Kylee Lynch went the distance to pick up the pitching win, scattering nine hits while striking out three in moving to 23-1 on the season. A pair of key double plays helped keep the Lions at bat.

UCO now turns its attention to the MIAA Postseason Tournament, which will be held Wednesday-Saturday at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond. The second-seeded Bronchos will take on No. 7-seed Nebraska-Kearney at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the double-elimination tournament.

 
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