OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Missouri Western softball team stayed alive in the MIAA Tournament, splitting on day one with a loss to Northwest Missouri State and a win over Fort Hays State. Missouri Western advances to play Emporia State on Friday at 11 a.m.

GAME 1: Northwest Missouri State 8, Missouri Western 1

The Griffon bats were kept quiet, managing just four hits and none until the sixth inning in an 8-1 loss to Northwest Missouri State.

Missouri Western scored their only run of the game in the sixth when Morgan Rathmann scored on a Sydney Washington triple. Rathmann’s hit was the first off Northwest’s Kendle Schieber. Janie Smith went five innings, allowing 13 hits and seven runs, three of them earned, with three walks and three strikeouts. Taylor Schaben went the final two innings, giving up two hits and one run.

Smith dropped to 16-10 on the year with the loss. Rathmann, Washington, Kailey Green and Katie Klosterman had the Griffons’ hits.

GAME 2: Missouri Western 8, Fort Hays State 0 (5 innings)

Missouri Western’s bats woke up in a big way in the second game. Missouri Western stole five bases and hit five doubles in the game to stay alive in the tournament.

Washington scored the first run in the first inning on a throwing error. Paige Shifflett drove in Gillaspy with a double in the third to put the Griffons up 2-0. Kailey Green made it 4-0 with a two-RBI home run to right in the third and Brooke Schaben’s sacrifice fly in the third made it a 6-0 Griffon lead. MWSU tacked on the final three in the fifth with Shelbie Atwell scoring on an error and Gillaspy driving in two with a single to center.

Janie Smith picked up the shutout, going all five innings and allowing just three hits. She walked one Tiger and did not pick up a strikeout. Gillaspy went 4-4 at the plate with two RBIs and Shifflett was 3-4 with an RBI.

Missouri Western sits 34-18 heading into day two of the tournament.

— MWSU Sports Information —