Lady Mountaineers Softball Team Starts Season with A Pair Of Wins
(Press Release 2-16-05)
Bobb Johnston, Athletics Dept.

The Eastern Oklahoma State College Lady Mountaineers Softball team have started their season with a pair of wins over Paris Junior College.

Last Wednesday Eastern traveled to Paris for a double header, sweeping the home team 5-1 in extra innings and 9-2 in the night cap.

Karla Pittman, Ohio freshman, picked up the win in the first game. The game was tied 0-0 after seven innings and went to the International tie-breaker in the eighth.

Bridgette Stewart started the inning on second and was driven home on a double by Arlington freshman Ashley Graham to score the first of five runs for the Lady Mountaineers. Rachael Christian led off the inning with a flyout to right, followed by Graham’s double. Glenpool sophomore Rebecca Buirrea was hit by a pitch, Somer Dykes, Owasso sophomore, then singled Graham home. Buirrea scored on a single by Leslie Boyd, freshman from Berryhill, who later scored on a single by Cari Hamilton, sophomore from Layton, Utah. Dykes was forced out at third on a fielder’s choice by Del City freshman Melissa Simms. Simms scored on a single by Inola freshman Brittany Day and Christian ended the inning on a flyout to center.

Pittman picked up the win recording seven strikeouts in eight innings. Pittman allowed one hit and no walks to make her record 1-0.

Eastern broke the second game open in the second and third innings, sending eight batters to the plate each inning. Dykes and Simms scored three runs each, Hamilton added two runs and Boyd tallied one run herself.

Eastern pounded out 15 hits, including four doubles to provide the offense to give Hillary Davis (1-0) the win in the backend of the doubleheader. Davis went the full seven innings giving up three hits while recording five strikeouts and giving up one unearned run.

In the latest NJCAA stat rankings Eastern placed four batters in the top sixteen in the nation. Hamilton is currently tied for fifth, batting .667, Simms is 12th at .571, Stewart 14th at .556 and Dykes is 16th hitting at a .500 clip. Christian finished last season 31st in the nation in hitting.

Davis and Pittman currently are tied for first in Earned Run Average. (ERA). Both pitchers have a 0.00 ERA. Pittman is ninth in strikeouts per inning (.875) and Davis is 12th (.714)

The Lady Mountaineers were rained out last Saturday at Grayson and return to action on Friday, the 18th in the Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth. North Central Texas (51-14 last season) is the first opponent at 9:30 a.m., followed by Neosho (tied for fifth in last years’ national tournament) follows at 12:30 and San Jacinto and Eastern square off at 5:00 p.m.

Competition on Friday will determine seeding in bracket play on Saturday, with a minimum of at least two games for Eastern Saturday.

After traveling to Texarkana on February 22 for a doubleheader Eastern will host a tournament at the Pittsburg County Complex in McAlester on the 26th and 27th. The tournament will feature 13 teams with pool play on Saturday and bracket play on Sunday. Games begin at 10:00 each day.

The field includes six teams from Oklahoma (Eastern, Murray State, Carl Albert, Connors, Seminole and Western Oklahoma,) four from Kansas (Pratt Comm. College, Independence, Neosho and Allen County) and three from Texas (Grayson, North Central and Paris).