Jacob Jardel
Sports Editor
@JJardel_Writing
The Cameron softballers took their first blemishes of the season, but came out with a split of six games at the Southeastern Arkansas Invitational from Feb. 5-7.
The Aggies entered the tournament coming off a sweep against Texas-Permian Basin to start the season. With two commanding victories under their belt, the Black and Gold were set to take on their weekend slate.
Rogers State
The Cameron nine took five innings to tame the Hillcats in the first game of the tournament, earning a 10-2 win.
The Aggies jumped on the board with a quick two runs. The first came when junior Breezy McComas doubled to left center, scoring junior Nikki Horton. Senior Sonora Zukerman drove in McComas on a single to left.
The Black and Gold would keep up the scoring pace with two more runs in the bottom of the second. After a scoreless third, CU would pile on two more runs in the fourth before run-ruling Rogers State with a four-run fifth inning.
Zukerman (2-0) held the Hillcats to two runs in five frames of work. She also walked one and struck out one while allowing six hits.
As a team, Cameron notched 12 hits in their third consecutive outing of 10-plus runs scored.
Newman
After coming out swiging for their third win of the year, the Black and Gold faced their first loss of the season, falling 2-1 to the Jets in seven innings.
A Newman run to start the game was the only run for either team until the Jets scored another at the top of the fifth. The Aggies answered back when Combs scored on a wild pitch, but they were unable to get back on the board.
Freshman Alyssa Osterdock (1-1) took the loss despite a solid outing in 4.2 innings of work. She allowed the two unearned Newman runs while striking out three.
Lincoln (MO)
The Aggies bounced back the next day with an early 7-0 win against the Blue Tigers.
The scoring started early with a McComas homer to left. Neither team would score again until the fourth inning when Zukerman would score on a Jessie Ingrum double to left.
The Aggies scored two more runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull ahead for good.
Osterdock (2-1) bounced back from a loss in the previous game to pitch a one-hit shutout, striking out three and walking one. McComas led the offensive charge with a pair of solo home runs.
Southwest Baptist
Cameron followed up their shutout win with a nine-inning thriller against the Bearcats, pulling out a 3-2 victory.
The Black and Gold scattered two runs in the first seven innings, bookending SBU’s two-run third with runs in the second and fourth frames. CU would walk off when Zukerman’s single to left scored Horton for the game-winning run.
Junior Emily Wasinger (1-0) took the complete game victory. She struck out six and walked one.
Delta State
The next day started with an extra-innings slugfest against the Lady Statesmen, with the Aggies suffering a 9-8 loss in 8 innings.
Cameron pulled ahead 5-1 in the first three innings before Delta pulled back ahead in the next three innings. A two-run took the game to extras.
Horton’s double in the top of the eighth scored Jordan Kisselburg, but two DSU runs in the bottom of the frame sealed the Aggies’ fate.
Wasinger (1-1) took the loss in relief after allowing three earned off five hits in just over two innings.
Southern Arkansas
CU finished off the day and the tournament with their third loss of the season, falling to the Muleriders 10-2 in six innings.
The Aggies opened up the scoring with an Allerheiligen run on a wild pitch.
But two Southern Arkansas homers in the first and third put the Cameron nine down 4-1.
An unearned run from Chelsea DeLong narrowed the gap to two runs in the top of the fourth, but two big innings for SAU put the lead out of reach.
Osterdock (2-2) took her second loss of the tournament.
She allowed 10 earned runs off 12 hits in a complete game outing for the Aggies. She struck out one, walked four and hurled two wild pitches.
Cameron softball is now 5-3 on the season.
After a weekend tournament in Canyon, Texas, the Aggie softball team hits the field next with a doubleheader against Mid-American Christian University on Feb. 16 in Oklahoma City.