ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Cameron bats came alive for 19 runs and 24 hits as they remained perfect to start the season with wins over Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday.
The Aggie softball team began their opening weekend at the Ronnie Hawkins/Mike McGhee Memorial Tournament with a pair of shutout wins on Saturday. They got the bats going on Sunday when they cruised to a 7-3 win over the Reddies and a 12-5 win over the Blossoms.
Henderson State opened game one by scoring the first run of the season against Cameron picthing in the bottom of the first. However, the run scored via an error and was not charged to starter
Robyn Bales' line.
After a pair of shutouts by the CU staff on day one of the season, Bales did a good job of bouncing back by holding the Reddies scoreless for the next four innings.
The Aggie bats, which totaled just three runs on Saturday, started to come alive in the fourth inning.
Kylie French opened the inning with one of her three doubles in the game.
Haley Castle drove in the first two runs of the game for CU, bringing home French and
Breley Webb on a single up the middle.
In the fifth, after
Mikayla Richmond led off the frame with a walk,
Khmari Edwards and French hit back-to-back doubles resulting in a pair of runs scoring. Webb then brought in French with a RBI single to center, giving CU a 5-1 lead.
French came up big again in the sixth, driving in Edwards and Richmond on a two-out double to put the Black and Gold up 7-1. HSU answered with two in the bottom of the inning on a homer, but that was all they would get as
Jocelyn Bright bounced back from giving up the long ball to close out the game, 7-3.
Seven of Cameron's 10 hits in the win came from the three and four hole hitters. Webb went 4-4 with a run scored and an RBI while French was 3-4 with two runs scored, three RBI, and a trio of doubles.
Bales and Bright combined for five strikeouts and just one walk in the circle.
The offensive output continued into Cameron's second game of the day against Arkansas-Monticello. CU struck for seven runs on five hits in the opening inning, four coming on a two-out grand slam by
Ashlynn Bruce, her first homer as an Aggie.
An inning later, CU loaded the bases with two outs after
Kaiden Boren drew a walk and then Castle was hit by a pitch to bring home another run, making it 8-0. UAM answered with five runs in the bottom of the second, two on a homer by Grace Neal.
After a scoreless third, Cameron put up a three-run inning in the top of the fourth. Castle brought home
Josie Swafford and Webb on a single to left. Boren came in to score later in the inning on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Madyson Marvulli, giving CU the 11-5 advantage.
Boren added to that total in the top of the seventh with another two-out RBI hit, driving in
Karis Clark, who pinch ran for Webb after a single earlier in the inning. With a 12-5 lead, Swafford who came in to pitch in relief for CU, struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 12-5 win.
After Webb, who pitched a shutout on Saturday, gave up five runs in 1.1 innings to start the game, Swafford came in and gave up just one hit in the final 5.2 innings, striking out six Blossom hitters and walking two to earn the win.
Cameron tallied 14 hits in the win, led by Webb and Swafford, who each had three hits and a pair of runs scored. Castle and Boren added a pair of hits each while Castle also walked twice and drove in three runs. Bruce had four RBI on the one swing in the first inning. The Aggies also stole five bases, led by Edwards with two.
Now 4-0, the Aggies will close out their opening weekend on Monday, playing Emporia State at 11 a.m. and then HSU for a rematch of today's game at 1 p.m.
