OC Softball's UTEP, NMSU, & UNM Adventure

September 29, 2015

Odessa College Softball had a very challenging but beneficial weekend of games September 25th - 27th. Despite going into the weekend with all three returning pitchers out or limited, the Wranglers were able to hold their own in all six games and be very competitive. Although a couple of the scores look, as head Coach Joel Prickett says, "worse than we actually played."

Friday the 25th the Wranglers left after class, and drove to Helen of Troy stadium in El Paso and played a double header against The University of Texas El Paso.

Game one saw Freshman Carlotta Onofri throw 6 innings of 4 hit ball against the Division 1 foe, giving up 2 runs overall and only 1 earned run. The Wranglers would take an 8-1 lead in the 4^th behind a pair of 2-run homeruns from sophomores Mariah Jameyson and Alyssa Hanks, as well as a 2-run single by sophomore Sam Edmiston. Defense, conditioning and a few breaks would make the game close in the 7^th, but the Wranglers would hold on to win game one 11-9. OC dropped the second game 12-0 after giving up 7 runs in the 4^th when the OC defense showed its youth with 4 errors in that 4^th frame.

Saturday, the Wranglers faced defending WAC champions and 2015 NCAA tournament participants New Mexico State University. The Aggies were top 10 in the country last season in several offensive categories, including 105 homeruns as a team and, a Coach Prickett award titled "a team you would least like to meet in a dark alley!" The Wranglers faced the power hitting Aggies and put Freshman, Winter Ridgeway in the circle for game one. After working 3 strong innings, giving up 2 runs, NMSU would get to Ridgeway in the 4^th scoring 7 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Sophomore, Ashley Jenkins, would come in and throw 3 strong innings, considering she had been out for 3 weeks and only had 2 bull pen sessions this fall. The Wranglers would drop game one 15-1.

Game two would see the Wranglers start Freshman and Odessa High standout Lindsey Wagner in the circle. Wagner would throw 3.1 solid innings before an ill-timed throwing error by Wagner herself would loosen the wheels on the old proverbial "wagon". Taylor Hinojos, a freshman pitcher from Snyder High school would come in and relieve Wagner. After all was said and done, in the 4^th, the score would stand 9-5 in favor of the Aggies. Mariah Jameyson would add a 3-run homerun in the 6^th to pull the Wranglers within 2 runs at 10-8, but the Aggies proved to be too much for the young Wranglers as they dropped game two by a score of 10-8.

Sunday was the final day of the Wranglers' long road trip. OC would take on the University of New Mexico Lobos. Game one again saw Freshman Carlotta Onofri on the mound for the Wranglers. She would have a good outing, giving up 1 run in the 1^st on 2 errors and no hits, and would only give up 3 hits in 4 innings. Unfortunately 2 of the 3 were solo home runs to some very talented seniors on the Lobos roster. Hinojos would come in and shut the Lobos down. In the 6^th inning, Odessa High standout outfielder Hope Deanda would have a 2 RBI double, following an RBI single from Freshman Taylor Fogle, giving the Wranglers a 4-3 lead headed into the 7^th. The Hinojos and the Wranglers would face the top of the line-up for the Lobos in the 7th inning and with 2 outs, a runner at 2^nd and a full count, the Wranglers would give up a game tying double and game one would end in a 4-4 tie.

Game two would see Ridgeway bounce back from Saturday and throw 5 strong innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits before Jenkins would come in and throw 2 scoreless innings. Fatigue would play a big part in the final game of the weekend and the Wranglers could never get their bats going. OC dropped game two by a score of 5-0.

All-in-all it was a very good weekend for the Wranglers and Coach Prickett is excited to see how these ladies will continue to grow and mature together on the field.