The Allen Red Devils benefited from strong defense and timely hitting while sweeping Southwestern Community College Spartans 5-1 and 7-3 Saturday.
The wins snap the Red Devils’s four-game losing streak ahead of Thursday’s non-conference game against Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa in Tonkawa.
“They did really well and we played well as a team,” Allen coach Nicole Peters said. “That’s something we’ve been trying to string together the last few outings. This was a team win for sure.”
After weathering an early barrage from the Spartans, freshman pitcher Andrea Ruby picked up a win in the complete-game effort. With three strikeouts, Ruby let the defense do much of the heavy lifting while allowing three runs, 11 hits and two walks.
While the long ball was a factor in the finale, the Red Devils pieced together their first win with timely hitting.
Allen jumped out to an early lead on a groundout RBI by freshman shortstop Taylor Damme in the second, followed by an RBI single by sophomore first baseman Kalyse Abernathy.
Southwestern rallied to tie the score, only for sophomore Ella McCammon to strike for the first of many times Saturday with an RBI single in the second inning. Freshman designated hitter Addie Keys drove in both of her team-leading two RBIs with a single swing to give Allen a 4-2 lead.
Sophomore catcher Makayla Hirschmann scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning, then freshman pinch-hitter Meaa Allen drove in a run.
McCammon, Keys and sophomore third baseman Hope Sanchez tied for the team lead in hits with two each.
Sanchez also played a key role in Allen’s victory in the second contest thanks to her hot glove at third base.
“She is one of our top hitters and gotten multiple player of the week nominations and other accolades,” Peters said. “She’s definitely one of our best players offensively. Our defense played well behind our pitchers and that’s what we need.”
After leading Allen to victory in the batter’s box during the opener, Keys switched to pitcher for the finale. 
Thanks to another strong performance by the defense, Keys needed just a pair of strikeouts to keep her opponents to just one run. She ended the contest allowing one walk, four hits and a run in a complete game effort.
McCammon accounted for all but two of Allen’s scores with just a pair of swings after homering in both of her hits while successful in 2 of 4 at-bats for a team-leading three RBIs.
She drew first blood with a second-inning homer to give Allen a 1-0 lead. Riding the early momentum, Abernathy then drove in Keys and Damme. McCammon struck again for the final time in the second inning and Allen held on from there.
“This was a good win overall, and is something we needed,” Peters said. “We play Tonk, then we open conference. It was a good win, but we have some things we need to work on.”
