FORT WORTH - Texas Wesleyan Softball (3-13, 0-2 SAC) nearly took down No. 1 Oklahoma City (18-2, 2-0 SAC) Thursday in the first game of two on a windy afternoon at Sycamore Park, 5-3. The Stars continued their late Game 1 momentum into the second matchup, taking down the Lady Rams 14-1 in five innings.

The two teams combined for seven home runs with wind blowing out behind the outfield fence with strength all day long. Tied 5-5 in the top of the seventh, Oklahoma City's Baileigh Loux hit her second homer in as many innings with a runner on first, as the ball carried just over the top of the fence and past a glove. The Lady Rams went three up, three down in the bottom of the frame as OCU narrowly escaped, but there's a reason the Stars needed that shot to left-center.

TXWES pitcher Makenna Aycock struck out seven batters - more than OCU's Jaden Shores had (6) - walking just two of the 31 batters she faced. Without the wind gusts, the Lady Rams may have just found a way to beat the Stars at Sycamore for the second year in a row (Oklahoma City was ranked fifth in the NAIA Coaches' Poll when the Rams pulled the upset last season).

The bats came alive for Texas Wesleyan too. In the fourth frame, Jenna Rhoades got things going with a single up the middle and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Taylor Sutton. After a RBI single from Kaitlyn Johnson to get the Lady Rams on the board, Hailey Hollingsworth put one over the fence to give TXWES the lead, 3-2. It was Hollingsworth's second hit that went the distance in 36 at-bats so far this season.

Rhoades earned another single in the sixth but got caught stealing and after two runners were walked by Shores, she cleaned up her act and earned a K to stave off the Lady Rams efforts to retake the lead.

Game 2 was headlined by a play that for most players would have turned into an error, but not with Sandra Lopez playing shortstop. After a ground-ball bobble, Lopez dove to make the stop and willed the ball towards third baseman Bailey Terry, who collected the slow-rolling ball and dirt that came with it into her bare hand in time for the out.

The one run was scored in the bottom of the fourth set up by a Terry single. At third, Terry was able to get home on a passed ball. Aycock returned to the mound in Game 2 to provide the Lady Rams 1.2 innings of extra work, garnering two more streikouts before Hailey Hollingsworth got her chance in relief. She reached base on 3-of-6 trips Thursday, taking two walks.

WHAT'S NEXT
After a week off, Texas Wesleyan Softball's schedule will really start to ramp up with six home games in three days - Thursday and Friday against Oklahoma Panhandle State and then a two-game home stand Saturday against Friends University (all three doubleheaders will start at 2 p.m.