A late rally Friday had Allen Community College’s softball in high spirits entering the weekend.
The Red Devils, playing State Fair Community College, scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 2-1 deficit to win, 4-2, and extend their winning streak to five.
But the fun ended Saturday, when State Fair returned the favor. Allen surrendered a 10-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth and could not recover in a 15-10 loss.
Then Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College erupted for nine runs across the third, fourth and fifth innings to win, 10-1 in Saturday’s nightcap.
Friday
Allen 4, State Fair 2
Allen was held in check through the first five innings, scoring its only run without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the first.
That changed in the bottom of the sixth. Jena Hendrix singled with one out and moved up a base when Bethany Gould reached on an error. Camrynn Yardley loaded the bases with an infield single.
Kaylee Spreer’s infield single tied the score at 2-2. Pinch hitter Abby Marsh pushed Allen ahead with a sacrifice fly before Brooklyn Goehring reached on an error, plating the insurance run.
That was all Yardley needed from the pitcher’s circle. She retired the final three batters in order in the top of the seventh, two by strikeout, to give her a complete game victory. Yardley allowed four hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts.
Bailee Campbell, Hendrix, Yardley and Spreer had Allen’s four hits.
Saturday
State Fair 15, Allen 10
The hitters from both teams found their groove to start the day. The squads combined for 29 hits — 17 from Allen — on a picturesque day at NEO’s campus in Miami, Okla.
State Fair led 5-2 before Allen’s Morgan Collins ripped a two-run double to start what became a seven-run fourth. Hendrix followed with an RBI single to tie the score. Kaitlyn Miller’s RBI grounder pushed Allen ahead. Hayley Gerberding followed with a single netting two more runs. Goehring chased home Gerberding with an RBI single, and a 9-5 advantage.
State Fair took back a pair of runs in its half of the fourth, but Allen responded with Miller’s RBI single in the fifth.
But a bases-loaded single and a pair of errors spelled trouble in the sixth for Allen, leading to a grand slam by State Fair’s Sami Picha. By the time the dust settled, Allen was in arrears, 15-10.
Collins, Marsh and Yardley shared pitching duties. Collins got the start and struck out six.
Collins singled and doubled with three RBIs to pace the offense. Goehring, Campbell and Yardley all had three hits. Ashley Tribble singled twice. Hendrix, Madisyn Havenstein, Miller and Gerberding all had singles.
