EDMOND – There have been plenty of highlights in Terin Ritz's magnificent career at Central Oklahoma, but the two-time All-American reached a new standard Saturday afternoon in leading the No. 10-ranked Bronchos to a doubleheader sweep of MIAA rival Northeastern State.
Ritz was untouchable in an 8-0 second-game rout of the RiverHawks, facing the minimum 18 batters in a six-inning perfect game. The senior right-hander struck out four and needed just 52 pitches to record only the eighth perfect game in school history – and the second this season, with Sydney Ward doing the honors in a 3-0 win over Lincoln on March 1.
The Bronchos took the opener 11-3 in six innings before Ritz threw her masterpiece. UCO is now 25-4 on the season and 7-1 in league play.
"Terin was unbelievable today," head coach Cody White said. "She threw 150 pitches yesterday (in a 7-4 win over Rogers State) so we weren't sure how long she would be able to go today, but obviously that wasn't an issue. Her change-up was really working and she was just unhittable.
"It was a good day for us. We were efficient offensively and our pitching and defense were really good. I'm really proud of the way the team came back ready to go this weekend after having not played in a couple of weeks. Now we just need to keep it going."
Ritz gave herself all the support she needed in the first inning of the nightcap with a three-run home run. Rylee Lemos walked to lead off, Kennedy Clark reached on a one-out error and Ritz followed with her seventh homer of the season, this one a no-doubt shot to right-center field.
The Bronchos made it 4-0 in the second when Lemos ripped a one-out triple down the right field line and sped home on Rylee Anglen's groundout. It became a 6-0 cushion in the third as Brooklyn Ryan had an RBI single, with another run scoring on an NSU error.
Ariah Mitchell put UCO on the cusp of the run rule in the fifth when the freshman outfielder smashed the first pitch of the inning high over the right field fence for her first career homer. The Bronchos ended in the sixth when Anglen led off with a triple to center field and trotted home on Clark's sacrifice fly.
UCO finished with seven hits, getting two each from Ritz and Mitchell.
Mitchell drove in five runs with a pair of doubles and Macie Andrews went 3-for-3 with three RBI to pace a 14-hit attack in the opener. Ritz and Emily Deramus also had three hits apiece.
UCO broke on top with a pair of runs in the second. Ritz led off with a double to left-center, Deramus followed with a single and Kya Watson had an RBI groundout before Andrews drilled a run-scoring single to right-center to make it 2-0.
The RiverHawks used a three-run third to surge in front, but Central regained the lead in its half of the inning. Mitchell had a run-scoring fielder's choice and Andrews added a two-out RBI single as the Bronchos took advantage of two NSU errors in going ahead 4-3.
UCO broke the game open in the fourth, pushing across six runs on six hits to seize a commanding 10-3 lead.
Anglen's infield single started a one-out rally and Clark walked before Ritz plated the first run with a single up the middle. Deramus' single through the left side loaded the bases for Mitchell, who ripped a line-drive double to left-center to clear them.
Watson and Andrews followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to complete the carnage and put the Bronchos in control.
UCO ended the game in the sixth on the eight-run rule with two more doubles as Deramus led off with a two-bagger to center field and Mitchell capped her five-RBI day with a double to left.
Ward picked up the pitching win, improving to 6-1. The senior right-hander struck out four and walked one while giving up three runs in the first five innings before Jordyn Pipkin threw the sixth.
UCO returns to action Tuesday, traveling to Durant, Okla. to take on Southeastern Oklahoma in a non-conference doubleheader.
