BRANSON, Mo. – Central Oklahoma collected two wins in the season-opening Branson Leadoff Classic Sunday afternoon, cruising past Sioux Falls 9-1 in the opener before outlasting Arkansas Tech 9-8.
It was the debut for first-year head coach Sam Maples and the No. 11-ranked Bronchos responded.
Shelby Beard had an impressive outing in the circle to start the day, allowing just two hits while striking out two and walking two. Brooklyn Ryan went 3-for-3 and Jenna Jobe drove in three runs on two hits to lead the offensive attack.
Hannah Demoff had two hits and four RBI while Kennedy Clark had three hits and two RBI to key the second-game win, with UCO scoring once each in the sixth and seventh innings to break a 7-7 tie.
The Bronchos return to the Branson Rec-Plex Facility Monday to take on Minnesota-Crookston at 11 a.m. and Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m. before finishing the three-day event Tuesday against Missouri S&T (11 a.m.) and McKendree (1 p.m.).
UCO scored all the runs it would need against the Cougars in the second inning of the opener.
Sherri Mason walked to lead off, then Bonnie Childs and Ryan followed with back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases. Mason scored on Rylee Lemos' RBI groundout, Rylee Anglen walked and Jobe ripped a two-run single to make it 3-0.
Anglen scored later in the inning on a wild pitch and the Bronchos added three unearned runs in the third on hits by Childs, Ryan and Jobe along with a pair of errors to go up 7-0.
Sioux Falls scored its lone run in the fourth and the Bronchos ended the game on the eight-run rule in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan led off with a double and scooted around on Lemos' base hit, with Lemos scoring on an error to make it 9-1.
The Golden Sun jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the second contest, but UCO exploded for seven runs in the top of the second to surge in front.
Clark led off with a single, Haley Gallo doubled and Mari Scott walked to load the bases before Demoff cleared them by driving a double in the gap. Demoff went to third on an error, then scored on Childs' RBI fielder's choice to make it 4-3.
Jobe added an RBI groundout later in the inning and Clark finished off the big outburst with a two-out, two-run single that pushed UCO's lead to 7-3.
ATU tied it on a grand slam in the fourth, with the Bronchos breaking the deadlock in the sixth.
Jobe singled to start the inning and went to second on a groundout before scoring on Demoff's two-out single. UCO added a crucial insurance run in the seventh on back-to-back one-out doubles by Lemos and Anglen to go ahead 9-7.
That last run came up big in the bottom of the seventh when the Golden Sun made it 9-8 on a two-out RBI single, but Carleigh Kinnaird fanned the final batter to finish off a complete-game outing in the circle.
It was the ninth strikeout of the game for the freshman, who gave up six hits and four walks in her collegiate debut.
