OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team opened MIAA play with a pair of losses to No. 11-ranked Central Oklahoma falling 11-7 and 10-1 on a windy day at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The Ichabods will wrap up their season-opening 23-game roadtrip at Northeastern State on Tuesday before making their first appearance at the Washburn Softball Complex on Friday with Missouri Southern at 2 p.m.
 
Game 1 - #11 Central Oklahoma 11, Washburn 7
The Ichabods took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run to center by Jordan Erickson, but the MIAA coaches pick to win the conference this season came back and scored two in the bottom of the first and then scored four in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead.
 
Washburn got a run back in the fourth inning when Megan Stegman doubled to right and then moved to third on a single by Maddie Anderson and would score on a passed ball cutting the Bronchos lead to 6-2.
 
UCO added a run in the bottom of the fifth to go up 7-2, but Washburn added four in the top of the sixth capped by Erickson's second home run of the day, a two-run shot pulling Washburn within one at 7-6. Lexie Myers had a 2-RBI single earlier in the inning scoring Britnee Douglas, who pinch ran for Dakota Sanders who singled and Stegman who reached on an error.
 
The Bronchos came back with four in the bottom of the sixth to go up 11-6. In the seventh, the Ichabods added a solo run on an RBI single by Anderson scoring Stegman who reached on a fielder's choice.
 
Erickson finished the game with two hits and 3 RBI scoring twice and Stegman had a pair of hits scoring three runs.
 
Ashley Wills gave up five earned runs taking her first loss of the season dropping to 5-1 overall.
 
Game 2 - #11 UCO 10, Washburn 1 (5 innings)
Washburn (10-13, 0-2 MIAA) picked up the its only run of the nightcap with a solo home run by Erica Harper to center staking the Ichabods to a 1-0 lead, but it would be all UCO's starting pitcher Jayden Chestnut would need as she struck out 11 Ichabods holding Washburn to two hits with the other base hit coming from Jordan Erickson with a single in the third.
 
UCO  (11-3, 2-0 MIAA) broke open the game in the third scoring three runs in the inning adding four more in the fourth and three more in the fifth for the win.
 
Kelsee Henry took the loss with four strikeouts in the game.
 
For the day, Jordan Erickson was 3 for 6 with 3 RBI and two home runs scoring twice and Maddie Anderson was 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored. Megan Stegman scored three times and had two hits with a double and a stolen base.