Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State softball team defeated Southwest Baptist twice Saturday afternoon at RiverHawks Park.

NSU (14-16, 6-4 MIAA) earned a 9-1 run-rule victory in the first game, and followed that with a 7-0 victory over the Bearcats (4-23, 0-9 MIAA) in the second game.

NSU 9 , SBU 1 (Box Score)
The RiverHawks plated five runs in the bottom of the first inning to lead the Bearcats 5-0. Freshman Saharra Henson scored first on an infield single from senior Lisa Ripperger. Junior Madison Reed scored the second run on a single through the left side by junior Navada Campos.  Junior Amanda Harjo and Ripperger accounted for the third and fourth runs after both senior Cayce Coleman and senior Lindsea Ross walked. Campos scored the final run of the inning on a grounder from junior Megan Robison.

NSU went on to improve its lead in the bottom of the second and third inning. Harjo scored the lone run in the bottom of the second frame on a sacrifice fly to right field by Ripperger to advance the score 6-0. Henson singled through the left side and scored Ross to end the third frame and hold the Bearcats 7-0.

The top of the fifth frame saw the Bearcats attempt to battle when Caitlyn Cooner walked her first at-bat. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and then moved to third base on an NSU error. Conner scored on a fielder's choice. The SBU run was the only one NSU would give up and would end the fifth trailing Northeastern State 7-1.

The RiverHawks secured the run-rule in the bottom of the fifth when Robison scored on a wild pitch and Henson scored on a single up the middle from senior Kelsi Hilderbrandt to end game one 9-1.

Reed and Hilderbrandt both went 2-for-4 at the plate. Henson and Harjo both scored twice, while Ripperger recorded two RBI.

Coleman (4-3) notched the win in the circle after throwing five innings. She allowed only two hits and one run.
 
NSU 7, SBU 0 (Box Score) 
Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when Northeastern State scored senior Ashton Bruce on a single from Reed to left field. Also scoring was Henson on a single from Harjo to second base, and Reed was plated when SBU walked Campos. NSU led SBU 3-0.

The RiverHawks scored four more runs in the bottom of the fifth frame which proved to secure the win 7-0. NSU would not let the Bearcats score and held them to only four hits for the seven-inning game.

Robison and Pogue led Northeastern State with two RBI each. Reed, Hilderbrandt and Campos each lended an RBI.

Freshman Kayce Wooldridge (4-9) improved in the circle. She threw a complete game, allowing only four hits.

The RiverHawks will face No. 9-ranked Central Oklahoma for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. April 3 in Edmond, Okla.

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH CLAY DAVIS
On the team's recent success…
“We've made a lot of adjustments at the plate. We got a good split at Missouri Southern and got a great split at Fort Hays State, who is at the top of the conference. I think the biggest difference this weekend is we just had better approaches at the plate. We had a plan when we got in there. We didn't put ourselves in big holes, and we kept ourselves in hitter's counts.”
 
On how important the split against Fort Hays State was for the team's confidence…
“We went out and beat one of the better pitchers in the conference who was undefeated at the time. It was an extra-inning, high-emotion game. We got quality at-bats late in that game. We really should have came out of there with a sweep, but getting a split with the No. 11-ranked team in the nation was a good shot in the arm for us.”
 
On some of the highlights of the team's recent play…
Offensively, we're really starting to click. Our pitching is also coming around. Shelby Enloe has done a great job in the circle for us. Her confidence is growing. Freshman Kayce Wooldridge had a great outing today. Cayce Coleman has been back a little more than a week now, and she has come back from her injury with three quality starts. Once she really gets going and gets in the flow of things, I like our chances going forward.”

-GoRiverHawksGo.com-