Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa’s bats were plenty hot on a cold day for softball Tuesday.
The visiting Mavericks rapped out 21 runs and 33 hits in a doubleheader sweep over Allen Community College, winning 7-4 and 14-5.
The games were played with temps in the 40s and a brisk northwest wind keeping wind chills near the freezing level.
That didn’t do much to slow Northern Oklahoma, which led 2-1 after five innings in the opener before exploding for three in the sixth and two in the seventh.
The Mavericks kept up the pace through the second game, scoring in every inning.
Still, Allen did not go down without a fight.
Kylar Smith got things started with an RBI single to plate Brooklyn Goehring in the third inning, and then after the Mavericks opened a 5-1 lead, things got interesting in the bottom of the sixth.
Bethany Gould’s hard grounder up the middle was misplayed for an error, allowing Camrynn Yardley to score. Paxton Meyer and Goehring followed with RBI singles, moving the tying run to third base.
But the rally ended with a strikeout, and Northern Oklahoma tacked on a pair to make it 7-4.
Allen loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning with two walks and an error, but the rally — and game — ended with a pop fly and a strikeout.
Goehring and Meyer singled twiced to pace the offense. Smith, Morgan Collins and Madisyn Havenstein added singles. Yardley struck out six Northern Oklahoma batters over seven innings.
THINGS were looking better in the second game, even though the Mavericks had scored only three batters into the game to lead 1-0.
Jena Hendrix blasted a two-run double in the bottom of the inning, and the Red Devils loaded the bases with one out. But Ashley Tribble’s hit down the line turned into a double play as the Maverick third baseman stepped on third and threw to second for the final out.
Northern Oklahoma took the lead for good with a four-spot in the top of the second, but still Allen responded.
Havenstein’s solo home run in the bottom of the third pulled ACC to within 6-3. Boehring’s RBI double an inning later made it 7-4, and Smith drove in a run one batter later with a single to pull Allen to within two.
