Softball
Cowgirls' Lauren Pittman Signs With Oklahoma Christian
WARNER – Connors State College’s Lauren Pittman, sophomore from Washington, Okla., has signed a NAIA softball National Letter-of-Intent with Oklahoma Christian University, announced Cowgirls head coach Rick Carbone.
Pittman, a second team All-Region 2 selection at shortstop , hit .340 for Connors, with 13 doubles, 29 RBIs, 3 stolen bases and 7 home runs. She had a .925 fielding percentage this season.
Oklahoma Christian is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference and is coached by Tom Heath.
Cowgirls Season Ends at Region II Tournament
OKLAHOMA CITY – Connors State Cowgirls were ousted from the Region II Softball Tournament Saturday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, winning their first elimination game 8-5 over Rose State, before falling to Western State 6-2 in a second elimination contest. The Cowgirls close the year at 26-28
Cowgirls pounded out 16 hits en route to their victory over Rose State as CSC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Paige Boling’s 2-run RBI double to the right field wall was the big blow in the first inning. Boling’s line drive shot sent home Kenna McCoy who singled to left field and Brandi Schueler, who also reached on a base hit.
Connors made it 7-0 in the second inning with a 4-run explosion. Schueler’s 2-run RBI double to left field plated Emily Wares, who had reached on a single to left field and Ashley Dunigan, who had an infield single to make it 5-0.
Boling followed with a triple to score Schuler giving the Cowgirls a 6-0 advantage. Boling scored the fourth run of the inning when Baile Neel ripped a single down the left field, putting CSC on top 7-0.
The Connors assault continued in the third inning, when Summer Cunningham scored on a RBI single by McCoy to put the Cowgirls on top 8-0 and within reach of run-ruling the Raiders.
Cowgirls starter Lauren Robertson had silenced the Raiders’ bats four innings, allowing just two hits, ran into trouble in the fifth. Rose struck for four runs on four base hits, cutting Connors lead to 8-5. Robertson was relieved by Jordan Jones. Robertson went 5 1/3 innings, striking out three and giving up six hits. She did not walk a batter.
Jones shut down the Raiders the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the save, allowing just one hit. Robertson got the win.
In the second game of the day, Connors took a 1-0 lead over Western State in the second inning when Lauren Pittman’s double to left center field scored Boling, who had reached base on a single to right field.
Connors made it 2-0 in the fourth inning when Balie Neel singled to left field and after two groundout put outs, scored on a wild pitch.
Long kept the Pioneers bats silent for the first three innings, allowing them only two hits. However, Western scored five runs in the fourth, which included a grand slam by Martha Thomas. Western State added a run in the sixth for the 6-2 final. Jordan Jones pitched the final two innings for CSC.
Connors managed only four base hits against the Pioneers. Dunigan added to her school stolen base mark and the Bristow freshman now has 54 on the season.
Cowgirls Split in Opening Day of Region II Play
OKLAHOMA CITY--- Connors State pounded out three home runs in the opener of the Region II Softball Tournament double elimination play Friday en route to a 15-4 run-rule win over Northern Oklahoma –Tonkawa’s and then fell to NJCAA No. 5-ranked Seminole 6-0 in the second game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
The loss drops the Cowgirls into the loser’s bracket play and CSC (25-27) will battle Rose State in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday. Rose advance by defeating Carl Albert State College 4-3 and sent the Vikings home. A Cowgirls win over Rose State would then send them into a 3 p.m. elimination clash against the winner of Western State and Eastern State.
In the Cowgirls opener of the Region II Tournament Connors quickly found themselves behind 4-0 in the first inning.
Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa jumped on Cowgirls starter Jordan Jones, who lasted only 1/3 of an inning, giving up three base hits and two walks.
However, Jerelyn Long in relief shut down the Lady Mavericks bats the rest of the game. It was a 9-run explosion by CSC in the third inning and two home runs that powered the Cowgirls to the victory.
Long during her stint gave up only three base hits in 4 1/3 innings in the circle, striking out two, and walking four in getting the win.
Long got plenty of help in the third inning as the Cowgirls sent 13 batters to the plate, pounding out 8 base hits, which included two home runs in the frame.
Brandi Schuler connected on a 3-run homer over the left center field wall, her ninth of the season and Long aided her own cause with a 3-run blast over the center field fence, her third of the year.
Kenna McCoy, Paige Boling, Balie Neel Lauren Pittman, and Ashley Dunigan each had a base hit in the third inning explosion which resulted in a 9-4 Cowgirls advantage.
The Lady Mavericks made it a 9-5 game in the top of the fifth on two base hits, but that was as close as NOC would get to the Cowgirls.
Connors put the game away with another offensive explosive, this time five runs in their half of the fifth, resulting in run-ruling the Lady Mavs.
The big blast of the fifth by CSC was Boling’s 2-run walk off homer over the right center-field wall. It was Boling’s seventh homer of the season. Ashley Dunigan also tripled in the inning for an RBI. McCoy plated Dunigan for another run on a fly out to center field and Long also scored in the frame on a wild pitch. Dunigan added to her school record stolen base total, swiping her 53rd in the third inning.
Connors was held to just four hits in the second game, missing scoring opportunities in the second and seventh innings.
Lauren Robertson went six innings for the Cowgirls and sustained the loss, giving up five hits, and hitting a batter.
The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when the Belles scored three runs before adding one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Boiling Named First Team All-Region; Pairings Announced
Connors State Cowgirls received the No. 4 seed in the Region II Softball Tournament which opens play on Friday and outfielder Paige Boiling was named first team All-Region II on Monday.
The Cowgirls (24-26) will play Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (24-27) the No. 5 seed at 1:30 p.m. at the ASA Complex in Oklahoma City.
Boiling, sophomore from Muskogee, is a two-time All-Region first team selection and a member of the NJCAA All-American team as a freshman. The outfielder hit .429 this season with six home runs and 39 runs-batted-in.
Named to the second team from Connors were sophomore shortstop Lauren Pittman from Washington, Okla., a second team All-Region selection a year ago; freshman outfielder Summer Cunningham from Tahlequah; and freshman third baseman Brandi Schuler from Bartlesville.
Named honorable mention where sophomore Balie Neel of Locust Grove; freshman Ashley Dunigan of Bristow and sophomore Lauren Roberston of Bixby.
Other first round Region II games on Friday are top-seed and NJCAA No. 7 ranked Seminole State (43-10) battling No. 8 seed Eastern State (13-33); No. 2 seed and No. 9-ranked NJCAA Northeastern A&M (35-12) playing No. 7 seed Carl Albert State College (16-34) and No. 3 seed and No. 19-ranked NJCAA Western State (42-11) meeting No. 6 seed Rose State (22-32).
All first round games begin at 1:30 p.m. with a second game, win or lose beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the double elimination tournament. The semifinals will be played Saturday and the finals are scheduled Sunday.
Cowgirls Close Regular Season With Two Losses
WARNER – Connors State closed out the regular season with a doubleheader loss to Seminole State Thursday night on Sophomore Night, falling 8-3 in nine innings of the first game and 8-0 in the nightcap.
Connors closes the regular season24-26 and 13-15 in Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
In the first contest Connors and Seminole were tired 3-3 until the ninth inning when the Belles struck for five runs to get the win. The Cowgirls had opportunities to win the ball game in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but had runners thrown out at home plate each time.
Jerelyn Long took the loss in relief for the Cowgirls. Brandi Schueler led the hitting attack with a3-for-5 performance at the plate with Baile Neel 2-for-5 and Paige Boling 2-for-5.
The nightcap was all Seminole as the Belles scored 6 runs in the first two innings as Jordan Jones took the loss. Cowgirls hitting attack was led by Kenna McCoy who had two hits.
Cowgirls, NOC-Tonkawa Split Doubleheader
TONKAWA – Connors State split an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference softball twinbill with Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa, losing the opener 6-5 in nine innings and taking the night cap 10-2 in a run-rule six inning contest.
The Cowgirls close out the regular season on Sophomore Night Thursday at Warner against Seminole State at 4 and 6 p.m. in a doubleheader. Connors enters the final game with a 24-24 season mark and 13-13 OCAC record.
Connors pounded out 27 base hits in the two games with Ashley Dunigan leading the hitting attack with a 5-for-6 hitting performance. Dunigan also established a school record in stolen bases, stealing three, for a season total of 48 snapping the previous mark of 44 held by Cassie Tipton in 1996.
In the opener the Cowgirls held a two-run lead, 5-3 in the ninth; however, the Lady Mavericks scored three in the half of the ninth to take the victory. Lauren Robertson scattered 8 hits and struck out 8 in taking the loss.
Cowgirls got home runs from Brandi Schueler her eighth of the season and Blaine Matheson connected on her second of the year.
In the night cap Jordan Jones tossed a two hitter and had five strikeouts to get the win. Balie Neel led the attack with three base hits and Dunigan had two hits.
Carl Albert Ends Cowgirls Winning Streak
POTEAU –Connors State Cowgirls four-game winning streak was snapped with a doubleheader loss to Carl Albert State College 11-3 and 2-1 in 8 innings Saturday in Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
Cowgirls are now 23-23 for the season and 12-12 in OCAC play will travel to Tonkawa on Wednesday play Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa. Cowgirls pounded out 16 hits in the twin bill, but left 11 base runners.
Carl Albert took a 1-0 lead in the first and scored 6 in the second inning for a 7-0 advantage and put the game away. Cowgirls Paige Boling had a 2-run RBI base hit in the fifth to make it 7-2 and added a run in the sixth on a Lauren Pittman RBI. Lauren Robertson took the loss for Connors.
Connors fell in the night cap in the eighth inning of a pass ball. Jordan Jones went the distance for CSC and took the loss.
Carl Albert took a 1-0 lead in the fourth before the Cowgirls tied the game in the sixth inning.
Ashley Dunigan, Pittman and Candace Kellar each had two hits in the game.
Cowgirls Sweep NOC-Tonkawa; Extend Winning Streak
Connors State Cowgirls extended its winning streak to four games with a doubleheader sweep of Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 4-3, 6-0 Thursday in a pair of Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference softball games.
Connors improves to 23-21 for the year and 12-10 in league play. The Cowgirls next play on Saturday at Carl Albert State College in Poteau in an OCAC twin bill.
Lauren Robertson scattered four hits in taking the win inside the circle in the opener as the Cowgirls jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
BaIie Neel was hit by a pitch followed by a Lauren Pittman single. Neel and Pittman were scored on a double by Jerelyn Long.
The Lady Mavericks tied the game at 2-all in the fifth inning and took the lead in the sixth inning, 3-2.
Connors regained the lead in their half of the sixth inning. Neel and Brandi Schueler each had back to back base hits to open the sixth, Pittman followed with a two-run RBI base hit.
Jordan Jones took the win in the second game, scattering four hits in going the distance. Cowgirls took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ashley Dunigan reached on a base hit and Bailey sent Dungun home on a base hit. Schueler then doubled home Bailey.
Connors upped its lead to 4-0 in the fourth on a solo home run by Blaine Matheson, her first of the season. Neel then collected an RBI single scoring Dunigan, who had walked and stole second and third base. Dunigan finished with 5 stolen bases in the twin bill.
It was 6-0 Cowgirls in the sixth inning when Robertson and Long were driven home on a double by Summer Cunningham.
Cowgirls Sweep Murray State
Connors State Cowgirls swept visiting Murray State 12-2 and 4-3 Monday in an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Monday. The Cowgirls are now 21-21 on the year and 10-10 in OCAC play.
Lauren Robertson with the aid of 13 base hits recorded the win inside the circle to run rule the Aggies. Cowgirls led 4-2 after the first inning and added four runs in the second and fourth to put the game away.
Brandi Schueler and Paige Boling led the hitting attack with three hits each. Boling also collected four RBIs. Kenna McCoy and Robertson each had two hits.
In the second game Jordan Jones was the winning pitcher going 4 1/3 innings. Jerelyn Long relieved going 2 2/3 innings.
Connors took a 2-0 lead in the first and added two more in the third. Murray scored its three runs in the fourth.
Ashley Dunigan led the hitting attack going 2-for-3 and scored twice.
The Cowgirls return to action Thursday at home against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa at 2 p.m.
Cowgirls Lose Two Heartbreakers to Seminole State
Seminole, Okla. –Connors State sustained two heartbreaking losses Thursday, falling to Seminole State 5-4 and 3-2 in Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference action on the Belles home diamond.
The double header losses give the Cowgirls a 19-21 season record and 8-10 in OCAC play. Connors will travel to Tonkawa on Saturday to battle Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa in an OCAC doubleheader.
Connors State pounded out 25 base hits in the doubleheader. Lauren Robertson took the loss for the Cowgirls in the opener and Jerelyn Long in the nightcap.
In the first game Connors held a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning on a two-run home run by Summer Cunningham. The Belles answered in their half of the seventh with a 2-run walk-off home run for the victory.
Cowgirls’ Ashley Dunnigan was perfect at the plate getting four hits in four appearances in the first game. Paige Boling and Long had two hits each.
In the second game the Cowgirls tied the game in the seventh frame 2-2, on a 2-run RBI double by Baile Neel. In Seminole’s seventh Cowgirls’ Long walked in the winning run with two outs.