Cotton’s Strong Start Guides Avila to Split with OKWU

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The first meeting this softball season between the KCAC's two Eagles squads ended in an even split on Wednesday afternoon at The Z: Avila (28-16, 15-7 KCAC) won game one 3-1 before Oklahoma Wesleyan (31-14, 14-8 KCAC) turned around and won game two 8-1, keeping both teams locked into the KCAC's top five with only four games left to go.

The storyline of Wednesday's doubleheader was fairly easy to write: Avila got an excellent start from number one pitcher McKayla Cotton in game one en route to a win, while Oklahoma Wesleyan got an even better start from number one pitcher Saige Smith in game two to pick up the split. Each righty allowed only one run and went the distance in their respective starts to lead their team's efforts.

OKWU has relied heavily on its pair of ace pitchers to this point in the season, the newcomer Smith and the incumbent Maddy Wiese, whom Avila has seen plenty of over the last three seasons. OKWU elected to have Wiese pitch game one and Smith go game two; unsurprisingly, Avila went with Cotton in game one and went with the rest of the staff of four pitchers to piece together game two, just like the Eagles did last time out against Kansas Wesleyan.

Cotton rewarded that confidence by turning in her best start in a while, one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over seven innings. It's her team best 11^th complete game of the season and her team best 13^th win as she continues to show massive growth from her role as Avila's number four pitcher last year as a freshman to her emergence this season as the team's top arm.

Wiese threw well over the full six innings on the other side for Oklahoma Wesleyan, but one big inning was the real difference in the game. OKWU struck first off Cotton in the top of the third off an RBI double from top slugger Reagan Rector, but Avila immediately punched back in the home half against Wiese. With one out, Savannah Salgado was hit by a pitch and Ka'Zem Wood beat out a bunt single. Brooke Belflower reached on a fielder's choice but then stole second, giving the Eagles two runners in scoring position with two out, and Stephanie Hayes stepped up and blasted a double to center field to bring both runners in and give the homestanding Eagles their first lead.

Julia Douglass then led off the fourth inning with a double, her second extra-base hit of the game, and after Cotton sacrificed her to third Montana Stangel came in and delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to right, extending Avila's lead to 3-1.

Wiese didn't allow anything else over the final two innings, but Cotton didn't flinch either. She worked around two walks to throw a scoreless fifth, sent OKWU down in order in the sixth, and then matched that in a perfect seventh where she got all three Eagle hitters to ground out, wrapping up a 3-1 win for the home side.

Madyson Withey got the start in game two for Avila and tossed a scoreless first, anchored by an unassisted double play turned by shortstop Emily Branson. Chelsea Kurtz then did her thing to lead off the home walk, drawing a leadoff walk, advancing to second on a sacrifice before stealing third and scoring on a misplay at first base to put Avila on top 1-0.

Unfortunately for the homestanding Eagles, Saige Smith was absolutely locked in from there. The only hit she allowed in the game was a soft liner by Hayes in the fourth inning, and that was that. Meanwhile, the OKWU offense, which had been held in check by Cotton in game one, steadily broke through in game two.

The visiting Eagles scored two in the second, two in the fifth, and then broke out for four in the sixth. Catcher Kelly Baker was at the heart of it all, driving in five runs on the day, including three on a bases-clearing double off Stangel in the sixth inning that proved to be the fatal blow for Avila in the game. Aarilynn Richardson delivered her second straight strong appearance, recording the final four outs from Avila, but with Smith pitching as well as she was OKWU's lead was more than large enough to prevail 8-1 and get out of Kansas City with a split.

Avila came into the day of action in third place in the KCAC, but that spot is anything but a sure thing with only two league doubleheaders still to play. Up next, the Eagles will head to North Newton, Kansas for a series against Bethel this Saturday, April 20. First pitch is currently scheduled for noon; as always, you can watch all the action on the KCAC Network.