From OCU Sports Info.
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Oklahoma City University upended LSU-Alexandria 2-0 on Saturday in the NAIA Softball World Series at the South Commons Complex.
The Stars’ Danielle Fox delivered a five-hit shutout of second-ranked and top-seeded LSU-Alexandria. No. 16-ranked and eighth seed Oklahoma City (54-11) meets ninth-ranked Reinhardt (Ga.) at 4 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. CDT)Monday.
OCU tallied both its runs in the third inning. Shelbi Legg drew a one-out walk, then scored when Kyndra Holasek belted a double along the left-field foul line. Holasek reached home plate on Logan Hebert’s wild pitch.
The Stars extended their win streak to 12 games and sent LSU-Alexandria (35-4) to its first loss since March 14 in its World Series debut. LSU-Alexandria had a 14-game winning string.
LSU-Alexandria entered the contest ranked fifth in the NAIA with a .376 team batting average and fourth with a .564 slugging percentage. Fox allowed one runner to reach second base to notch the first whitewash of LSU-Alexandria this season.
The Lady Generals’ Brooke Thomas had an infield hit to third, then Kaylee Prather bunted for a single with one out in the bottom of the third inning. Fox retired Taylor Simon on a fly ball to left field, then got Julinn Torres on a popout to second baseman Amanda Ingram.
“My defense was awesome, they made stellar catches,” Fox said. “My pitches were working, but my defense was incredible. They work together as a team, and it’s fun and I like being in that moment.
“I am a lot more confident than I have been the last two years, just being here knowing what it’s like, knowing what kind of pressures that are here. Trying to be an example for the girls is my main focus. They also keep me up as well, it works both ways. It’s a great team effort.”
Fox, a senior from Yukon, Okla., improved to 22-3 on the year. Fox recorded her 14th complete game and seventh shutout of the year. She forced six flyouts and four groundouts, but didn’t get a strikeout.
“She is an evolution of a great kid, great student-athlete,” Oklahoma City coach Phil McSpadden said of Fox. “She has evolved where the girls play well behind her, they believe in her, she’ll hit her spots and not make mistakes. I just love somebody that transforms themselves early in their career.”
Fox set down LSU-Alexandria in order in the fourth and the seventh innings. The first two hits the Lady Generals had came with two out in the first and the second. Thomas reached on Holasek’s error with two out in the fifth, but Fox got Prather to ground out to second to retire the side.
Hebert (19-1) limited the Stars to three hits and four walks. Holasek, a sophomore from Mustang, Okla., went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI, and Legg, a sophomore from Mustang, Okla., was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored for OCU.