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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Terin Ritz
Terin Ritz
6
Emporia State ESU 31-20
8
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 42-11
Emporia State ESU
31-20
6
Final
8
Central Oklahoma UCO
42-11
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Emporia State ESU 0 0 2 1 2 0 1 6 13 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 3 2 0 2 1 0 X 8 13 0

W: Ritz, Terin (20-6) L: Rabe, Gracie (9-10) S: Beard, Shelby (3)

Game Recap: Softball |

Bronchos Hold Off Emporia In MIAA Tourney

Terin Ritz, Jacee Minter and Tatum Long Hit Homers In 8-6 Win

EDMOND – A pair of early home runs helped stake Central Oklahoma to a comfortable lead and the No. 9-ranked Bronchos staved off Emporia State down the stretch in the quarterfinals of rain-plagued MIAA Softball Championship Thursday afternoon at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.
 
Jacee Minter clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning and Terin Ritz added a two-run blast in the second as UCO jumped on top 5-0, but the Hornets made things interesting before the Bronchos held on for an 8-6 victory.
 
UCO moved to 42-11 with its 19th straight home win in a game that was delayed twice by persistent rain. The Bronchos will take on the winner of last remaining quarterfinal game between Fort Hays State and No. 4 Pittsburg State that was postponed until Friday at 11:30 a.m.
 
No. 12 Rogers State and Washburn will meet in one semifinal at 2 p.m., with UCO meeting the FHSU/PSU winner at 4:30 p.m. Friday's two winners play for the tournament title Saturday at noon, with the winner early the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II national tournament.

UCO banged out 13 hits in the contest – its 20th double-digit hit game of the season – but also gave up 13 hits in the slugfest. Six players had two hits apiece for the Bronchos.
 
"We did a lot of good things offensively, but I was really disappointed with our pitching," head coach Cody White said. "We got on top early and we couldn't put the game away. Fortunately we scored enough to get the win and move on."
 
UCO got off to a great start in seemingly taking early control.
 
Emily Deramus reached on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first and raced home on Ritz's double off the center field wall. Minter followed with a line-drive shot over the center field wall for her 11th homer to make it 3-0.
 
The Bronchos upped that to 5-0 in the second when Rylee Anglen led off with a single to left field and Ritz smoked a two-out bomb to center for her 18th dinger of the season.
 
But ESU didn't go away, scoring twice in the third and once in the fourth to make it 5-3.
 
UCO answered back in the bottom of the fourth to go up 7-3 on McKenna Johnson's two-run single to left-center that scored Anglen and Deramus, who had both singled.
 
The Hornets responded with two runs of their own in the fifth, but Tatum Long opened the bottom half of the inning by crushing her seventh homer of the year off the scoreboard in left-center to make it 8-5.
 
Emporia scored its last run in the seventh and had runners on first and third before UCO was able to escape the jam.
 
Ritz went the first 4.2 innings to pick up her 20th win, while Shelby Beard tossed the final 2.1 innings in earning her third save.
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