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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

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Team
0
Rogers State RSU 39-15
5
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 49-8
Rogers State RSU
39-15
0
Final
5
Central Oklahoma UCO
49-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Rogers State RSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Central Oklahoma UCO 1 0 0 0 4 0 X 5 10 0

W: Ritz, Terin (21-3) L: Sanders,J (16-8)

Game Recap: Softball |

Ritz, Bronchos Roll Over Rogers State

UCO Blanks Hillcats 5-0 To Win Central Regional I Title

EDMOND – Back-to-back hits in the first inning gave Central Oklahoma's indomitable Terin Ritz all the support she needed in Saturday afternoon's NCAA Division II Central Regional I Tournament finals.

The No. 4-ranked Bronchos scored once in the first, added four more runs in the fifth and coasted past No. 16 Rogers State 5-0 as the Hillcats – for the third time in a week – had no answer against UCO with Ritz in the circle.

Ritz limited RSU to one hit while striking out four and walking one in tossing her 11th straight complete game. The senior star improved to 21-3 in recording her ninth shutout.

It was UCO's fifth win of the season over the Hillcats, with three coming in the last week by a 22-2 margin. Ritz pitched all 19 innings in those contests, giving up 11 hits with 16 strikeouts and one walk.

"Terin just got after it," head coach Cody White said. "Seeing them (RSU) for the third time in seven days, we didn't really know what to expect and she just went out and dominated.

"We wanted to come out fast and strong and we did that. Everything we challenged them to do today they accomplished. Our defense once again played really good for us."

The Bronchos improved to 49-8 – the third-most wins in school history – and will host No. 6 Augustana in the best-of-three Central Super Regional Thursday and Friday. The winner advances to the eight-team NCAA Division II Championship Finals May 22-28 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

UCO jumped out to 3-0 first-inning lead over Rogers en route to last week's 8-0 MIAA Tournament finals rout, went up 4-0 after one frame in Friday's 9-2 win and came out strong again Saturday before a capacity Gerry Pinkston Stadium crowd.

Rylee Lemos ripped a triple down the right field line to lead off the bottom of the first and Rylee Anglen quickly drove her in with a single to left. The Bronchos ended up loading the bases with one out, but could manage only the single run.
 
"Before the game Coach white came up to me and 'hey, I need you to be the spark today,'" Lemos said. "I took that and I ran with it. I just went up there and knew I had to stay calm and be myself and do it for the people behind me like we have all year long."

UCO didn't have another hit until the fifth before stringing together five in a four-run volley that put the game away, though the Hillcats never came close to scoring.

Brooklyn Ryan opened the fifth with a single to center, Lemos followed with a base hit up the middle and Anglen walked to quickly load the bases. Kennedy Clark plated the first run with a single to left, Ritz aided her own cause with a two-run single to right and Ariah Mitchell drove a one-out RBI single through the left side.

That made it 5-0 and whatever hope RSU might have had entering the inning quickly evaporated.

Ritz polished off her masterful performance by putting the Hillcats down in order in both the sixth and seventh, punctuating it with a game-ending strikeout against RSU's top power hitter. She gave up a lone hit in the second when the right-hander also issued her only walk, which broke an incredible streak of 35 straight walk-less innings, and retired the final 17 batters.

Lemos, Anglen, Clark and Ritz finished with two hits apiece to lead a 10-hit attack. And UCO's defense came up big once again with another flawless performance in the fielder, including stellar plays by Ritz, Deramus at shortstop and Anglen at second.
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