Sports
6
April 16, 2018
www.aggiecentral.com
Donation adds field lights By Drue Watkins Sports Editor
studying. With so many new lights, the hope is to draw in more students and potential fans to the events at more manageable times—which, in turn, generates more money and support. Jackson said the lights will not only bring in more people to watch, but also the town just looks better with them out there. “When I’m driving down the street and see them rising up, it really does add something here in Lawton,” he said. “Not just to Lawton, of course, but Cameron, too. There’s this new level of prestige—it can help with recruiting, crowds, scheduling. I think the benefits are too numerous to even count.” As of now, there are no late-night games scheduled for the remaining seasons of either softball or baseball this year—and that is unlikely to change. However, beginning next season the lights are planned for extensive use.
During the past month, the Lawton McMahon Foundation donated over $365,000 to Cameron University for new lights at McCord Field, home of Aggie baseball, and at McMahon Field, home of Aggie softball. The award is split between the two athletic facilities, with McCord Field getting $188,000 and McMahon Field getting $177,000. McCord Field will also be getting additional electrical support for the newly installed grid; the intent is to increase how long the lights can be used. The Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) is installing the new electrical configurations, and the softball team can now enjoy their new lights, but the baseball team still has a few more days to wait. With the ability to have field lights on for games as well as more electrical power, both Cameron baseball and softball have the potential to expand their seasonal schedules by including night games. In turn, the new night games can aid student-athletes by extending more time between their match-ups and allowing them to spend more time in classrooms. Cameron athletic director Jim Jackson said he is beyond excited about the new lighting systems. “It’s fabulous,” he said. “The towers are popping up and looking grand. All in all, both places are really starting to look like actual ballfields.” In 1993, Cameron removed the original wooden light posts following the collapse of a post during a baseball practice. Jackson said the university—particularly the athletic department—has wanted new lights ever since, but until now, the funds just haven’t been available. “In the end it’s all about safety,” he said. “The old ones we had back then were wooden telephone poles that would become easily rotten. These new ones are much safer, and not to mention they look nicer, too.” Cameron head softball coach Dennis Furr said the lights will make a huge difference on the field, particularly for the program’s authenticity. “The change will be big not just for the team, but for those who come out to watch, too,” he said. “I think every player likes playing out under the lights, and it will also aid with our seasonal scheduling and later practices, which is always a good thing. We owe the Foundation a lot.” The newfound capability to adjust new flex hours is the primary reason for the light installations. Currently, a majority of Cameron’s baseball and softball games at home occur during the day, when most people who are capable of watching are either working or Photos by Drue Watkins
Aggies dominating with six game win streak
Photos by Bobby Hines
By Markel Turrell Staff Writer
Starting on April 6, the Cameron softball team extended their win streak to six games after taking their three-game series against the Eastern New Mexico (ENMU) Greyhounds. Cameron junior third baseman Alyssa Osterdock said getting six wins in a row really inspired the team. “It gives us a lot of confidence,” she said, “because before that we were kind of in a low spot after losing a couple of series in a row.” In the first game of the series, Aggie sophomore pitcher Bethany Hines dominated in the circle, pitching her best game of the season with a two-hit shutout; she also ended the
game with 11 strikeouts. The Aggies got things going early with a pair of runs in the first inning, as sophomore catcher Callie Busby hit an RBI single that scored sophomore outfielder Kaylyn Smith. Following the first run, Eastern New Mexico pitcher Leslie Reyes walked junior utility player Abbey Warren with the bases loaded, which ended up bringing freshman utility player Aliyah Young home, extending the Aggies’ lead to 2-0. The scoring didn’t stop there, however. In the bottom of the second inning, Hines hit an RBI of her own, running in senior third baseman Annie Combs. Warren then hit two more runs in the second, bringing the Aggies’ lead to 5-0. After a few stagnate
innings, the Aggies burst the fifth inning open with freshman first baseman Madyson Marvulli hitting a sacrifice fly ball to bring in a runner. Combs added on a second run, and in the sixth inning tacked on a final run, ending the game with an 8-0 victory for Cameron. Cameron junior pitcher Rylee Willmon got the start in game two, as ENMU went scoreless throughout the first six innings, and only tacking on two runs in the final inning. To begin the scoring for Cameron, Osterdock hit an RBI single that brought Warren home in the bottom of the second inning. Osterdock said the team played great the whole series, and she was particularly satisfied with her own performance. “They were pitching a lot
of low in the zone,” she said, “which is what I hit the best, so it was right in my power zone every time I went up to bat.” Callie Busby would give the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly that scored Hines; however, Busby wasn’t done for the day, as later in the fifth inning she gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead after ripping an RBI-double down the left field line. ENMU kept things close early, but a strong sixth inning by the Aggies got them some much-needed breathing room after scoring three total runs that inning. Senior second baseman Lauren Mason scored the first run in the sixth with an RBI, while Combs brought on even more with an RBI-triple.
ENMU would pick up a pair of runs in the seventh inning, but the scores were too late, allowing the Aggies to hang on for the win, 6-2. Despite their early success, the Aggies struggled in the final game of the series. After a slow offensive start for Cameron, ENMU took a fast lead in the third inning following a walk with the bases loaded. The Greyhounds further extended their lead to 2-0 after a sacrifice fly. However, the Aggies started to turn things around after Osterdock hit a solo homerun in the fourth inning, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. Osterdock then homered again in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, giving the Aggies a 5-2 lead. Osterdock said ENMU kept making pitching mistake after mistake. “After my first home run
they never changed their zone any,” she said, “which wasn’t very smart on their part.” The Greyhounds got back into the game with a homer of their own, cutting the lead to 5-4 in the sixth inning. However, in the bottom of the sixth, Combs hit a solo homer to left field, giving Cameron some breathing room up 6-4 and ending the game there. After sweeping ENMU, the Aggies move to a 25-11 overall record on the year and 13-8 in the Lone Star Conference. Cameron’s next big matchup is against perennial powerhouse and 13th ranked West Texas A&M beginning April 13. First baseman Alyssa Osterdock said the team is prepared and looking forward to the next series. “As long as we pitch well and match them hitting wise, we should be fine,” she said. “We are usually pretty good at playing very well against good teams like them.”