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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Terin Ritz
Terin Ritz
0
Southeastern Oklahom SOSU 33-26
5
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 48-6
Southeastern Oklahom SOSU
33-26
0
Final
5
Central Oklahoma UCO
48-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Southeastern Oklahom SOSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 0 0 1 0 4 X 5 8 0

W: Ritz, Terin (22-1) L: R. Taylor (12-10)

Game Recap: Softball |

Bronchos Blank Southeastern In NCAA Opener

EDMOND (May 11) – Terin Ritz and Mikayla Rutland continued to produce postseason magic in powering Central Oklahoma past Southeastern Oklahoma Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional I Tournament at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.
 
Ritz dominated in the pitching circle with a complete-game two-hitter, while Rutland delivered a clutch three-run double in the sixth inning as the No. 4-ranked Bronchos blanked the Savage Storm 5-0 to advance to Friday's 1 p.m. winners bracket finals against No. 21 Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison knocked off No. 18 Harding 4-2 in the other first-round game.
 
That duo sparked UCO to the MIAA Tournament title last weekend, with Ritz winning all four games and Rutland taking tournament Outstanding Player honors after hitting .600 and driving in nine runs.
 
The Bronchos improved to 48-6 with their 17th straight. SOSU fell to 33-26 and dropped into an elimination game against Harding at 3 p.m. Friday.

"It was a tough game, just like we knew it would be," head coach Cody White said. "I wanted them (UCO players) to stay true to themselves. We've talked about that all year and they practiced that today and we came away with the win."
 
Ritz was magnificent in the circle.
 
The sophomore right-hander gave up singles in the second and third innings, but neither runner advanced past first. Ritz didn't walk a batter, struck out four and needed just 83 pitches to register her 13th complete game.
 
"Everything was kind of working," Ritz said. "Layne (catcher Smith) really called a good game and she just made them beat me.  I just threw my game and said, 'you're going to have to beat me with everything I have.'"
 
SOSU wasn't up to that task. Ritz retired the final 13 batters she faced in moving to 22-1 on the season.

UCO was held without a hit until the fourth inning and didn't put the Savage Storm away until the sixth.
 
Emily Deramus broke SOSU's no-hitter with an infield single to open the fourth. She went to second on Amelya Huggins' perfect sacrifice bunt, took third on Jacee Minter's infield hit and trotted home on Shayla Harper's single through the left side.
 
It stayed 1-0 until the sixth, when the Bronchos finally took control.
 
Minter led off the inning with a bloop single to right-center, Harper followed with a walk and Tatum Long's one-out walk loaded the bases. Rutland came through an out later, roping a first-pitch line-drive double to left-center field to clear the bases.
 
"I saw the bases loaded and there's been so many times when my teammates had picked me up so I knew this was my time," Rutland said. "I really just got in the box with so much confidence because of my teammates."
 
Rylee Lemos backed up Rutland's big hit with a run-scoring single to center field to make it a 5-0 cushion and Ritz quickly closed out the win in the top of the seventh.
 
UCO finished with eight hits, getting two each from Lemos, Deramus and Minter.
 
"The girls just kept grinding and we saw results at the end," White said. "Their approaches were good all day and I was urging them to not change anything. It came later than what we wanted, but we knew it would eventually and it came at an opportune time."
 
And now the Bronchos are moving on.
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