MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello Softball team hits the road this weekend with a trip to Ada, Oklahoma, for a three-game series with the Tigers of East Central University at the Tigers Softball Field. Due to forecasted weather in Ada the series will now begin on Thursday, April 16, with a doubleheader at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., followed by a solo meeting on Friday, April 17, at 12:00 p.m.
LAST MEETING
The Blossoms secured a series win over East Central last season, 2-7, 4-2, 6-5. The Tigers were on the board first in the third, taking advantage of a Blossom error to take the lead. UAM responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. Kyann Woods drove in the first on a single through the four-hole, followed by an RBI single through the six-hole from Dacia Sexton. Errors in the seventh inning led to five unearned runs for East Central. The Blossoms were unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, concluding game one with a loss. The Blossoms were first on the board in game two, adding a run in both the first and second innings. Dacia Sexton was the first to cross the plate, scoring on a wild pitch. Maddie Pfleging singled up the middle in the second to bring in Lauren Spoon. East Central tied the game, 2-2, in the fourth off a solo home run and a bases-loaded single. Arkansas-Monticello retook the lead in the fifth and never looked back, as Emmy Apodaca scored on a close call at home plate after a single up the middle from Kyann Woods. Sophie Wood drove in Woods for the final run of the ball game on a double to right field. East Central was on the board first, adding a run on a wild pitch. The Blossoms tied it up in the bottom of the inning as Sophie Wood doubled to score Lainey Tippen. Sophie Wood hit a home run to left field in the third inning to give UAM the lead, while Vyanna Quezada scored in the fourth off a Dacia Sexton double to make it a 3-1 game. Another run for Arkansas-Monticello came in in the sixth as Jade Keaton was plated via a hit from Wood. The Tigers’ offense rallied in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs to take the lead, 5-4. With bases loaded and one out on the board, Maddie Pfleging would single up the middle, bringing in Cada Collins, to tie the game, but Emmy Apodaca scored the unexpected final run in the bottom of the seventh, in front of a stunned crowd, to secure the win, 6-5, and the series, 2-1.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Blossoms trail the Tigers 17-30 in the overall record. The very first meeting between these two teams came in February 2009, a 4-6 loss for UAM. The largest margin of victory stands at 9-1, achieved on March 29, 2015. At home, the Blossoms are 8-15, 7-13 in Ada, and 15-28 in overall conference play. Through 47 meetings, Arkansas-Monticello has plated 144 runs, averaging 3.06 runs per game.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BLOSSOMS
The Blossoms secured a series win over the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma this past weekend. UAM took the doubleheader 8-1, 12-4 (5 innings), before dropping the series finale 6-5 (8 innings).
GAME RECAPS
After the conclusion of each game, Blossom Softball will have a release posted to uamsports.com, X and Facebook, which will give a recap of the game. They can be found on the schedule page as a clickable link after the end of each game, or on UAM Sports social media accounts.
How to follow the Cotton Blossoms: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Women’s Softball, visit www.uamsports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on X, and Instagram.
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