EDMOND – The Cameron University softball team exploded for 22 runs to claim a pair of victories over Ouachita Baptist and Northeastern State on Friday to wrap up the first leg of the Edmond Festival.

The Aggies opened the Edmond Festival on Thursday with a 4-2 win over Southern Nazarene before taking Central Oklahoma to 10 innings before falling 9-8. On Friday, the Black and Gold would get a shot at Ouachita Baptist and Northeastern State to wrap up their opening week.

First up, the Ouachita Baptist Tigers, who had yet to play a game in the invitational. Taking on someone who had yet to shake off the rust of the offseason, CU head coach Kayla Adams decided to test her opponent early.

In the first, Brenna Busby opened the game with a single up the middle and then stole second. After a Mikayla Richmond walk, Adams called for the double-steal, which allowed Busby to advance to third and then come home on an errant throw by the OBU catcher.

The Aggies first big inning of the day came in the second, as they struck for six runs on six hits and three OBU errors to take a 7-0 lead. The second of those runs came on another stolen base attempt, this time by Kaylyn Smith, that forced a wild throw. Cameron pieced together six straight hits in the inning with Richmond, Khmari Edwards, and Callie Christensen all collecting RBI.

Ouachita Baptist was able to get one of those runs back in the bottom of the second on a solo homer, but two innings later the Aggies returned the favor by stretching their lead back out to seven thanks to an RBI single by Kylie French.

In the top of the fifth, Cameron put up another six-spot that was started by a solo homer by Haley Castle, CU's first dinger of the season. Later in the inning, Christensen picked up another RBI on a fielder's choice before French drove in Edwards and Richmond on a single to right field. Jaclyn Gray got in on the action with an RBI single that capped the scoring outburst.

The Tigers added another run in the bottom of the frame thanks to a leadoff double and a fielder's choice RBI, but relief pitcher Jade Guzman worked out of a bases loaded, no-out situation with just the one run scoring to secure the 14-2, run-rule victory for the Aggies.

Guzman pitched the final two innings of work, giving up the one earned run on one hit and two walks. Jocelyn Bright earned her first win of her career, going the first three innings and giving up just one run on two hits and a walk; Bright struck out three OBU batters in the win.

Busby set the table for CU with three hits and three runs scored, while French also had three hits to go along with a trio of RBI. Cameron finished with eight stolen bases, six of which came in the first two innings alone.

In game two, Coach Adams handed the ball to the program's all-time wins leader, Bethany Hines, as they faced a tough Northeastern State team.

The Riverhawks took an early lead, scoring a run on an RBI double in the top of the first. That lead did not last long, as CU put two on the board in the bottom of the frame. Busby double to leadoff the frame and then scored on an Edwards RBI single. Two batters later, Edwards scored on an RBI single by Christensen, giving her team the lead.

NSU came back in the fourth and tied the game at two, but again, that score did not last long. The red-hot Aggies put up four runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-2 advantage over their opponent from Talequah. Two of those runs came on a clutch pinch-hit, bases loaded single by Castle that brough home Oaks and Maci McMurtrey.

An inning later, the Black and Gold added a pair of insurance runs as Madyson Marvulli drove in Christensen on a bases loaded single, which was quickly followed by an RBI groundout by Smith.

Hines was back to her dominant ways on Friday, as the senior gave up just the two runs on four hits and two walks in her five innings in the circle. She also punched out seven NSU batters in her first win of the young season. Webb pitched a perfect sixth and seventh inning with a pair of K's to close out the Riverhawks. 

Marvulli led the Aggies, who had 14 hits for the second straight game, with three knocks, while Busby, Christensen, and McMurtrey all had two hits each. Edwards and Castle drove in two runs a piece in the win.

Next week the CU softball team are scheduled to compete in the Midwestern State Invitational in Wichita Falls, Texas, where they will play Northwestern Oklahoma State (Feb. 11), Southwestern Oklahoma State (Feb. 12), and UT Dallas (Feb. 13).