Oklahoma City had only four hits on the afternoon, and those came late, but it was enough once again to survive and advance.
OCU defeated Lindsey Wilson, 4-0, on Tuesday in the 2014 NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga.
The Stars (55-12) will face William Carey (49-11) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CDT.
Oklahoma City coach Phil McSpadden said his team’s challenges were not all from the opposition.
“It’s interesting to watch, from a coaching standpoint, how fragile a team’s confidence can be at the plate,” McSpadden said.
“We were struggling, but it was not all based on the pitching. Their girl wasn’t bad; she spun the ball well and we just kept popping them up.
“But bad at bats just seem to be contagious. It can get in your head and one bad at bat just leads to another.
“And finally when one girl hits it hard, then we can string together a group of hits.”
For the Stars, that one hit didn’t happen until the sixth inning. Kyndra Holasek singled up the middle to reach base. Chayenne Terry rapped a long single on the next at bat and moved Holasek to third.
Jocelin Diaz looked to bring Holasek in on the squeeze bunt next, and a wild throw from LWU pitcher Casey Bryan did the job for her.
With two on after that, Emily Krienke doubled to right center, bringing in Terry and Diaz. The three runs in the innings would prove to be enough.
Danielle Fox reached on a single in the seventh and was pushed around to score an insurance run by a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a wild throw.
Fox, for her part, took care of business on the mound. She gave up only four hits while striking out six and walking one.
“Every pitcher has a style,” McSpadden said. “What’s impressive about Dani was to watch her reinvent her game. She changed her style as the game went on based on their offensive philosophy.
“Theirs wasn’t a speed game. They were bigger, stronger. They try to go hard. Dani’s strength isn’t to throw away, but she adjusted and wouldn’t let them have the pitches they wanted.
“It was fun to watch.”
The world series field is down from 10 to just four, and the Stars keep playing.
“It was a good day,” McSpadden said. “We didn’t play well. But the true character of a team is how it plays when the back is against the wall.
“And these girls found a way to win today.”
