The Lady Cats softball team opened up their league season with a split against Brandon on April 29, defeating the Blackhawks in a game two upset.
The Wildcats accepted an 8-1 loss in game one after ‘back-to-back? errors in the fourth inning. Losing pitcher Amber Cervantez pitched well from the mound for the fourth, but Brandon’s four runs in the top sealed the game. Offensively, Shannon Gerbe went two for four and Amanda Crump went one for three with one RBI.
Game two though saw the ladies come back with a vengeance to upset the Blackhawks with a 3-2 win. The Lady Wildcats opened strong in the bottom of the first, with Gerbe and Anne Marie Skylis each hitting a single. Catcher Jessica Anhel stepped up and sacrificed Gerbe in, followed by Cervantez running Skylis in with an RBI single.
Brandon answered the play with one run scored in the top of the second, tieing the game up 2-2, until the bottom of the eighth when Cervantez stepped up and hit the game winning RBI single.
‘This was a huge win for Oxford,? said Coach Sue Roeher.
In game two, Gerbe scored one run and hit two for four, Skylis had two runs and went one for four, Anhel went two for four with on RBI and Cervantez went two for four with two RBIs.
Oxford’s Lady Wildcats built into their first FML match-up with a three win streak against Stoney Creek and Rochester Adams.
On April 24, Oxford defeated Stoney Creek in game one 10-1 and game two 12-6. Game one winning pitcher Cervantez only allowed two hits and one run in her seven innings pitched. Game two winning pitcher Megan Bono had 12 hits and four earned runs in seven innings.
Offensively, Jessica Anhel hit her fourth home run of the year in game one. The junior catcher had a great night going two for two in game one (including a triple and the home run), with three RBIs and two runs scored. In game two, she hit two for four, against with three RBIs and two runs scored.
‘We had only one Wildcat error in game one which helped us win,? said Roeher. ‘In game two we were big at bat with 15 Wildcat hits.?
‘It’s good win both ends of a double header when preparing for league play.?
April 28 saw Oxford defeating Rochester Adams in a single game 17-12. The Lady Cats dominated the game 9-3 until the top of the sixth when Rochester Adams achieved nine hits, including two walks and three Oxford errors, that resulted in nine runs. Oxford picked up the pace in the bottom and answered the runs with eight of their own.
Every Oxford started scored at least one run in the game. Gerbe hit two for five with two RBIs and three runs scored, Skylis went four for five with two RBIs and four runs, Anhel went four for five (including two singles, one double and one triple), with five RBIs and three runs, and Cervantez went two for four with four RBIs and one run.
This past Saturday, May 1, the Oxford Wildcats traveled to the wet and muddy North Star Tournament. The ladies lost their first game against Hartland 1-2. Losing pitcher Cervantez had four hits and two earned runs in six innings. The Lady Cats were strong at bat, but too many players never got off base.
Oxford returned in game two with a strong performance against West Bloomfield. The 10-3 win saw several younger players stepping up including sophomores Jamie Badia and Cayla Stanard and freshman Amanda Jolly. Offensively, Gerbe, Skylis, Badia, Bono and Danyelle Parris each had one hit.
Game three saw Walled Lake Central defeating the Wildcats 6-4.
‘It was a great day on the mound for Cervantez and at plate,? said Roeher. ‘Oxford just lost the game mentally.?
At bat, Gerbe went two for four, Anhel one for three with two runs, Jolly three for three, Cervantez one for one with four RBIs, and Skylis scored two runs.
The second day of the North Star Tourney was cancelled due to rain and snow showers. The Lady Wildcats now stand 7-11 overall and travel on May 6 to face off against Lapeer West in their second game of league competition.