[Softball] Softball Falcons settle for split at (RV) OKWU

Bartlesville, Okla. – The Friends University Falcons ran their winning streak to seven games with a 1-0 victory in the opening game over the conference-leading (RV) Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles today (Apr. 20) in Bartlesville, Okla. The Eagles then came back and pulled out a wild 10-9 win in the second tilt.

Laila Spracklen (JR/San Diego, Calif. ) again was the Falcons' key contributor in the circle and at the plate in the first game, blanking the Eagles and striking out eight to earn her 15th victory of the season while extending her scoreless streak to 30 1/3 innings.

Spracklen then helped her own cause by singling in Meghan Low (SR/Collinsville, Okla.) for the game's only run.

She outdueled her counterpart Maddy Wiese, who struck out 13 and gave up just the one run on four hits for the Eagles.

In a chaotic nightcap, Priscilla Mora (FR/Beaumont, Calif. ) gave the Falcons a two-run lead with a two-run triple in the 11th inning, but Tahlor Stefek singled in the tying run in the bottom of the inning and then scored the winning tally on a wild pitch.

The Falcons found themselves trailing 2-0 early before a sacrifice fly by Mora, the first homer of the season by Carolyn Dallimore (JR/Patterson, Calif. ) and an RBI single by starting pitcher Isabelle Schwien (SO/Denver, Colo. ) resulted in a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

It appeared that would be enough until Ryleigh Clinton delivered a two-out, game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.

Neither team crossed the plate in the eighth, but that led to a ninth inning that saw both teams exchange four-run frames.

Spracklen singled home a pair of runs for the Falcons (23-18, 14-8 KCAC) and Dallimore also had an RBI single, while a two-out single by Wiese tied the score in the bottom of the inning for OKWU.

Schwien went five innings and allowed two runs along with three strikeouts before being relieved by Spracklen, who pitched the final five frames and surrendered six earned runs while striking out five batters as her scoreless streak was officially halted at 32 innings.

Mora keyed the Falcons' offensive attack in the second game, going 3-of-4 with three RBIs, with Spracklen and Dallimore each producing a pair of hits.

Stefek went 4-of-6 with three RBIs for the Eagles (32-11, 17-3 KCAC).

The Falcons will next wrap up the regular season at Southwestern College next Tuesday (Apr. 26) in Winfield, Kan.